PRIS: Road to Redemption
by KairiAngel13
Summary: After the destruction of the Power Chamber, the former Turbo Rangers have blasted off into space to rescue their mentor Zordon; but with very little knowledge of the outside world and no powers to aid them, they are sure to fail. Will Andros, the Red Ranger of KO-35 be able to help these fallen heroes complete their ultimate mission? Series Rewrite; Slight AU. Multiple Pairings;AxA
1. From Out Of Nowhere

**A/N:** **Hey guys, I'm back with a new** _ **Power Rangers**_ **series and I hope you are all eager to read this new concoction of mine. This is a complete rewrite of** _ **Power Rangers in Space.**_ **Why am I rewriting this classic story arc? Well, I felt that Zhane and Andros needed a thicker backstory and I wanted the storyline to be more serious!**

 **So in this story, you will relive the series but character relationships will be put to the test, Andros and Ashley's romance will definitely have to bud, and you will get the chance to learn about "The original six" Astro Rangers from KO-35.**

 **So, ready to find out what happens? Then read on my friends!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **From Out Of Nowhere"**_

 _Astro Log February 6_ _th_ _, 1998…_

 _I have been trapped onboard the Megaship for almost two years now and I don't think I've gotten any closer to finding the ones responsible for destroying my home. You'd think time would help mend my heart and heal my mind, but I am still plagued by nightmares and scars that remind me of the fall of KO-35. The smell of smoke and poisonous gases lingering in the air. Flames blazing in a blind fury, spreading and devouring everything within their path. The screams of my people echoing loudly throughout the streets. The scent of blood…the scent of death…_

 _I have to track down Dark Specter and Astronema. The blood of my people stains their hands and it is my one and only mission in life to avenge them. I can't go back to the colony. What is left for me there other than the constant reminder of what a failure I've been as Red Ranger? Cain…he would be so disappointed in me. He relinquished his powers to me and expected me to lead the Astro Rangers with an iron fist, straight into victory. He trained me to walk in his footsteps and conquer evil; but I have failed him miserably and because of it…they are gone…_

 _It's just me and Zhane now, but I feel like I'm alone. The cryogenic chamber is keeping him stable and alive, but for how long? How much longer will I be forced to undergo this mission alone?_

The sound of the Megaship's alarm began blaring all around the room. Andros dropped his pen and looked over towards the mainframe computer before standing to his feet and running over to pull the viewing screen open. There was an image of a large planet off in the distance, a ghastly green and brown fog surrounding it. The planet reminded the Red Ranger of the planet Jupiter that resided in the Milky Way Galaxy, but this planet gave him an ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"D.E.C.A., is this the planet Onyx?" Andros questioned his computer companion.

 **Yes Andros. We have arrived at the planet Onyx.**

"Overview of Onyx please." He instructed before turning to a screen positioned just to the right of the mainframe. Several windows opened on the computer screen and Andros looked over the information intently.

 **The planet Onyx has very cold temperatures. The highest being thirty-degrees. Daylight hours are minimal, being that the planet is the farthest from the sun of this galaxy. My sensors indicate that there is a small populous on the planet.**

Andros nodded before moving away from the screen and heading for the jump tubes. "I'm going to the surface D.E.C.A. Let's just hope this lead doesn't turn out to be a false one."

 **This should be a promising excursion Andros. What are my orders until you return?**

"Continue on to the next galaxy D.E.C.A. and begin scanning there. I shouldn't be gone for more than an hour. I'll take my Galaxy Glider and catch up with you then."

 **Understood Andros.**

Andros nodded before jumping through the red jump tube to be shot down to the surface of the planet.

* * *

The planet Onyx was very dark and cold, just as D.E.C.A. predicted, and there didn't appear to be too many signs of life. There were a few buildings carved into the rocky surface of the planet, and the plants were all a dry, brown color with frost covering their surface. Andros made his way through the emptied streets of the planet, his Spiral Saber raised to attack anyone who should happen to see him while his left hand held onto his scanner. He moved the device around the area slowly, scanning for any signs of abnormal activity. At the rate things were going, it was going to take him forever to find any leads on Dark Specter and Astronema's whereabouts. After all, he was just one person trying to do the job of an entire team of rangers. Memories of his old team and their smiling faces flashed through his mind and he growled angrily, forcing the memories to the back of his mind. He had no time to get sentimental about the past, he had a job to do.

He continued walking for half-an-hour, the scanner beeping quietly as it swept over the area. Suddenly, it sounded off an alarm. Andros gasped before sliding his fingers across its touch screen to view the collected data. The scanner was picking up on several life forms just a few miles ahead of him. Their power levels were unbelievable and they were gathered in one place.

"Galaxy Glider, hang ten!" he shouted, summoning his levitating board to his presence. He quickly jumped onto his vehicle and leaned forward, accelerating quickly in the direction of the energy sources. After ten minutes of speeding across the planet's surface, he reached a giant structure, almost like a mountain. He could see stone pillars standing atop the rock. He landed a few feet below the pillars and raised an eyebrow. He could hear the sound of people chatting away above him. So there was life on this planet after all?

Not wanting to be seen, Andros reached into the storage compartment of his glider and pulled out a cloak. He pulled the hood over his head, successfully concealing the helmet of his suit and slid on a pair of black gloves to hide his hands. After securing the robe by tying a sash around his waist, he moved to climb up the mountainside.

He reached the top and was amazed at what he saw. There were Quantrons everywhere, but there were other foot soldiers gathered on the mountain top of the likes of which he'd never seen before. There were hideous creatures, a rusty bronze color with giant green eyes and the gills of fish on their heads. They looked like mutated piranhas. There were also creatures that looked like robots, especially when they moved around. Finally, there were creatures with clay faces and glowing red eyes. Just what were these creatures, and what were they doing here?

Andros could hear a loud, obnoxious laugh off in the distance. He made sure his hood was obscuring his face from sight before moving through the crowd of foot soldiers towards the voice. There was a witch-like woman wearing an extravagant red dress. She had white hair that was pulled up into two wrapped-pigtails, giving her the appearance of wearing some sort of clownish hat. She was standing beside a disgusting creature who appeared to be nothing but muscle and metal as he stood holding a staff in his hand, a Z positioned at its tip. The two of them were socializing with the clay-faced creatures, laughing their heads off.

"And that's when I said- that's no dumpster, that's my wife! Just kidding sweetums."

"Oh Zedd, you old card." The woman said as she slapped him playfully on his shoulder.

Andros continued his way through the crowd and spotted a woman wearing a golden masquerade mask, her hair in a high ponytail on her head. She was standing next to a robotic couple wearing crowns on their heads. Andros was disturbed by what he was seeing. The people of Onyx were very strange indeed. His attention was drawn to the mask-wearing woman as she looked at the crowd gathered around her, a smirk on her lips as she bragged about her latest accomplishment.

"That's right everyone. I discovered where the Power Chamber was located and single-handedly blew it sky high."

As the woman laughed along with her posey, the witch and her muscled companion bumped right into her. The witch looked very displeased when the other woman turned around. It was obvious they knew each other.

"Oh, it's you." The witch said, her nostrils flaring as her companion rested a hand on the small of her back comfortingly.

The masquerading woman gave a small laugh as she twisted her ponytail around with a free hand. "Oh, hello there Frida."

"It's **Rita**." The witch snarled, her teeth grit in frustration. "I'm surprised to see you here Divatox. What are you up to these days? Still hopelessly trying to destroy the Power Rangers?"

Rita burst into a fit of laughter at the ludicrous idea. Andros stopped walking at the mentioning of Power Rangers. He had learned from Cain years ago that KO-35 wasn't the only planet that had Power Rangers. In fact, Zordon himself had led a team of rangers in a distant galaxy on some planet known as earth. Could these women be their enemies, and if so, what were they doing on Onyx?

Divatox's smirk turned into a proud grin. "The Power Rangers? Oh, them. Really Frida, you must get out of the dumpster more often. It's obvious that you haven't heard my latest news. I have destroyed those pesky Power Rangers. They won't be getting in the way ever again, and it's all thanks to me."

Rita looked horrified by the revelation. Her look of horror melted away quickly and was replaced with one of pure rage.

"You lying snake!" she shouted. "There's no way you defeated the Power Rangers."

Divatox shrugged before turning on her heels and strutting away, her cape dragging on the floor behind her. "Toodaloo Frida." She called over her shoulder before moving towards the center of the room where a large banquet table was located.

"Is that true Zedd?" Rita said to the man beside her. "Did she really destroy the Power Rangers?"

Zedd hung his head and growled. "I'm afraid so my little muffin. It is the latest gossip around the galaxy."

"But that's not fair! We are the ones who started the battle with the rangers. It's only right that we should have been the ones to defeat them."

"Better luck next time." Divatox called out to them with a laugh.

Rita growled angrily before using her powers to summon her own staff. She lowered it, the crescent moon-shaped tip aimed directly at Divatox. She gave no warning and unleashed a blast, but she missed and the blast was sent straight towards a group of Quantrons gathered a few feet away. Andros gasped as he spied the attack heading towards someone with very familiar purple hair. She caught Rita's attack with ease in her hand and used her magic powers to destroy the blast.

Andros couldn't believe what he was seeing. The woman stepped into clear view of everyone else in the room, her hips swaying seductively as she walked to stand just beside Divatox, a menacing look on her face. She shot Rita a glare before turning and heading to sit at the banquet table. Divatox had a surprised look on her face. In all of her years as an evil tyrant, she had never seen someone with such powers.

"Elgar, who is that?" Divatox whispered to the pink, cone-headed creature beside her.

"Astronema…" Andros whispered angrily as he balled up his fists.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Milky Way Galaxy, a shuttle from NASA was floating through space unbeknownst to anyone. Its passengers- the former Turbo Power Rangers from earth.

Cassie hissed in pain as TJ placed a cotton ball to an opened wound on her forehead. He gave her an apologetic look before focusing his attention on the small gash.

"Where do we even being to look for Zordon?" Cassie asked, her voice sounding tired and defeated. "We don't know where Divatox could have taken him."

"Alpha and I set a course for the planet Eltar. It's in a galaxy three solar systems from here." TJ explained as he pulled the cotton ball away from her forehead to see if he'd managed to slow the bleeding. "I estimate it's going to take a little over a year to reach Eltar."

Cassie's eyes widened in disbelief. "A year? Oh my God, what are we going to do? That's so much time. We have school to worry about TJ, and what about our parents? They've got to be out of their minds with worry right now not knowing where we are. We should have thought things through before going after Zordon."

"I know that Cassie, but we can't just let Divatox destroy him. Even if we arrive too late, we may be able to find traces of where she could have taken him. We might even find out what happened to Dimitria. She needs to know what's happened."

Cassie nodded in agreement. Since Dimitria had left, the Power Chamber, along with her energy tube had been destroyed. She would have no way of getting back to earth, and no way of knowing what became of her protégés. They had to find her and make sure no harm had come to her.

"You guys, take a look at this." Carlos called out to them. Cassie and TJ looked over to where Carlos was standing with Ashley, gazing out of the shuttle window. They stood to their feet and headed over to stand beside them.

"Wow…" Cassie said, her eyes wide in awe. "I've never seen something so beautiful. It's so serene and peaceful."

The rangers had been so focused on finding Zordon and Dimitria that they hadn't taken the time to step back and see the wonders of space around them. They had been out of earth's orbit for almost four hours now and this was the first time they had seen the beauty of outer space.

"It's beautiful, but it's scary at the same time." Ashley commented as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Look how large it is. The stars, they stretch on for miles, and we haven't even reached Mars yet. We'll be too late by the time we reach Eltar."

"Come on Ash, you can't think like that." Carlos said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Why not? We might as well turn around while we still have the chance. We are no longer Power Rangers you guys. We don't have the ability to morph and protect the planet anymore. We have let the people of earth down. Hell, we've let ourselves down. Tommy and the others gave us their powers because they felt we were deserving of them. They felt they could trust us with their powers and they said we had what it took to defend the earth from Divatox and her evil forces, but look at us!"

Ashley motioned all around the cabin of the vessel, her shoulders heaving. "We are a mockery of the legacy they left behind. I remember watching the news all the time while they were the rangers. They never made a colossal mistake like this. I wonder if they even know what happened."

TJ frowned at her words and turned his back towards his friends, placing a hand to his forehead. Ashley was right. They had failed as the Power Rangers and he had failed to lead them. Tommy seemed like such a confident leader and Ashley's words were true- the former rangers hadn't failed on a level like this. Tommy must be so disappointed in him.

TJ was pulled from his thoughts when Alpha began muttering something incoherent. Carlos and the girls exchanged a glance before moving to sit beside their robotic friend.

"What's up Alpha?" Carlos asked.

"Are you feeling okay?" Ashley asked, her voice worried like that of a mother fussing over her child.

Cassie and Carlos moved to help Alpha onto his feet while the little robot continued to speak, his words a jumbled and incomprehensible mess. Carlos popped the panel on his back open and looked over the hundreds of circuits and wires inside. He caught sight of a flattened object protruding from a low hatch and yanked it out the crevice before showing it off to his friends. He raised it up towards the overhead light and could clearly see a large crack going down its center, a black residue smeared all over its surface.

"What is that?" Cassie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's the circuit board that gives Alpha the ability to speak." Carlos said remembering the handbook Alpha had mandated them all to read just in case something happened to him. "It must have been damaged during the Power Chamber's explosion."

"Well, that's just great." Cassie sighed as she grabbed a fistful of her hair. "The Power Chamber is destroyed, we've lost our powers, Zordon's been kidnapped, our families have no idea where we are, and now the only person who can give us guidance in our time of need can't communicate with us. How can this day get any worse?"

Just then, the ship shook violently, knocking the rangers off their feet. They all exchanged a glance as the ship stopped shaking and showed no signs of movement. TJ stood to his feet cautiously and made his way over to the window. His eyes widened and he motioned for his friends to come and take a peek on what was on the other side.

They stood up and slowly made their way over to the window and what they saw amazed them. There was a ship unlike any they had ever seen before floating right towards them. It was much larger than the ship they were currently occupying and it seemed foreign to them. It was constructed of a gray metal with another layer of blue metal on top of it. They could clearly make out a red letter on the hood of the ship. They were immediately filled with terror when they realized how quickly it was closing in on them.

"It's going to hit us." Cassie realized.

TJ ran from the window and over to the controls. He flipped the communication link on and turned his attention back to the window where the ship could still be seen rapidly approaching them.

"Attention unidentified spacecraft, this is the shuttle you see in front of you. Veer away, you're on a collision course. We mean you no harm."

"Wait a second TJ, it's opening up." Cassie said in disbelief.

TJ stood from his seat and walked back towards his friends. Sure enough, the nose of the ship was parting ways, revealing an emptied port inside. Before they could make sense of what was happening, they found themselves being pulled onboard the unknown space craft.

"It's pulling us in." Ashley said. "Why?"

"I guess we're going to find out." Carlos said nervously as the shuttle docked onboard the larger ship.

* * *

"Move out of my way you simpletons." Divatox said loudly as she pushed her way through the crowd of foot soldiers to take a seat at the banquet table. "The queen of evil has arrived. Now, the festivities can truly begin."

Andros watched as everyone moved to take a seat at the table. Not wanting to make a scene, he too moved to find a seat. He sat beside a giant creature that Divatox kept referring to as Rygog before looking at the meal resting on the table in front of him. There was some gooey, red liquid in a tall wine glass and a plate filled with exotic fruits and some kind of meat that gave off a strong, stomach-churning odor. It looked like a skinned possum. Andros had to breathe through his mouth to avoid upsetting his stomach.

He looked up as someone pulled out the chair in front of him. He looked up and tensed at the sight of Astronema taking a seat. She gave him a questioning look and he turned his head, pretending to be focused on Divatox as she once again retold the events of destroying someplace known as the Power Chamber.

Astronema…the one responsible for striking down his teammates was alive and in front of him. She was within his grasp, yet he couldn't reach her. If only he had found her under different circumstances. If only they weren't seated at a table with some of the galaxy's most notorious villains. He would find out what she was doing here and what all of these other creatures were doing here as well. Then, he would find a way to make her pay for destroying his life. He would should her no mercy.

Just then, lightning began flashing across the sky. Andros was startled by its sudden appearance, but not as badly as he was when Dark Specter appeared in front of the table. He was just as ugly as he remembered- large yellow eyes, a disfigured face and body constructed out of molten rock, and pinchers for his hands. He growled, gaining everyone's attention instantly.

"I am Dark Specter, the monarch of all evil things in the galaxy. Thanks to Divatox, I have custody of the almighty Zordon and am draining his powers as we speak. As the lava in his energy tube slowly rises, his powers are being fed to me. Soon, there will be nothing left at all for him to use, and Zordon will cease to exist."

Lord Zedd stood to his feet then and raised his glass towards Dark Specter. "This is marvelous news indeed. It is a momentous occasion that deserves a toast. To the fall of the thorn in our sides known as Zordon, and to the rise of the all-knowing, and powerful Dark Specter!"

Everyone cheered happily and raised their glasses before downing the slimy liquid, all except for Andros who couldn't believe what he had just heard. Zordon, the one responsible for bestowing the Astro Rangers' powers upon the people of KO-35. Zordon, the intelligent being who had served as a rock for him and his fallen comrades had been captured? How had this happened? If Zordon lost his powers, he would in turn lose his own. He couldn't let that happen, not before exacting his revenge.

Andros was pulled from his thoughts as Divatox shouted across the table. "Hey you, at the end of the table wearing the cape. What are you, too good to drink with us?"

Andros's fingers curled around his glass. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he'd forgotten to maintain his cover.

"Who are you?" the robotic queen asked from beside her husband as she raised an accusing finger towards him.

Astronema smirked with a knowing look in her eyes. "He's a spy."

As the words left her mouth, the foot soldiers stood from their seats and drew their weapons. Andros also stood to his feet, knowing that he had just given away his position. He backed away from the table cautiously and raised his hands in defense as a group of Quantrons closed in on him.

They began attacking him and he raised his arms to block off their weapons. Left, right, left, right, he continued to dodge their attacks, but they had cornered him. He knew how close he was to exacting his revenge on Astronema and Dark Specter, but he couldn't allow himself to be captured. Andros leaped into the air, flipping over the heads of his attackers and landed swiftly on the other side of them. Before he could escape, the Pirahnatrons had come over and began attacking him alongside the Quantrons. Andros summoned his Spiral Saber and used it to fend off the bladed weapons. He ran towards the banquet table and jumped onto its surface as he continued to fend off his attackers.

"Get him!" he heard Astronema shout angrily.

Knowing that he was outmatched, Andros had to make his escape. He ran down the length of the table as Dark Specter demanded to know who he was. Just before Andros could summon his glider, the clawed hand of someone nearby grabbed hold of his cape and pulled off, exposing his identity as the Red Ranger.

"This can't be!" Lord Zedd shouted in disbelief.

Astronema's face was one of pure shock as she stared at the Red Ranger in front of her.

"You…" she said in disbelief. "How can this be?"

"Destroy him!" Dark Specter commanded.

Astronema was glad to oblige and summoned her staff before aiming directly at Andros. Andros jumped over the two blasts she sent towards him.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Astronema shouted before firing another time, but just as she missed the first two times, she missed again. She was blinded by fury and rage at having learned of his survival, and Andros knew he could use her current state to get away.

"I guess you aren't as strong of an evil empress as you thought." He said with a confident smirk.

Astronema yelled angrily before jumping onto the banquet table and running towards him. She swung her staff towards Andros, but he used his Spiral Saber to block the attack. She swung again and again, but Andros was continuing to avoid her advances. Finally she swung her staff in a slicing motion, and the tip struck Andros's shoulder. He cried out in pain, the attack having felt like a blade slicing through his skin. Astronema growled and kicked him in the stomach with the heel of her boot. Andros landed on his back, gasping for breath. Astronema walked towards him and aimed her staff at him.

"Any last words Red Ranger?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yeah." Andros said before raising his hand towards the sky. "Galaxy Glider, hang ten!"

Astronema was confused by his words, but before she could question him, Andros's glider appeared from its hiding place and rammed into her, knocking her off the table. Andros sighed in relief before jumping onto the glider and taking flight. Zedd and Rita tried to blast him using their staffs, but Andros was able to avoid each blast. As he flew past Dark Specter, the evil monarch blew a stream of flames out his mouth to strike the Red Ranger, but he missed him by a hair and shouted in anger as Andros disappeared into the night sky.

Dark Specter turned back to his crowd of loyal subjects and pointed in the direction Andros had gone off in.

"A Power Ranger knows my plans. He must be stopped at all costs!"

Divatox and Rita, who had been knocked off their feet by Andros's hasty departure, stood up and did their best to readjust themselves.

"Your evilness, please. Allow me to be the one to destroy that traitor." Divatox said as she pulled at her skirt.

"Can it sister, you couldn't catch a cold." Rita retorted before putting on a fake smile. "Allow me and Zeddy to take care of the Red Ranger Dark Specter. We'll have his head presented to you within hours."

Divatox snatched an apple off the destroyed table setup and shoved it in Rita's mouth. She then removed her cape to expose her bare shoulders and exposed chest.

"Come on Dark Specter, you can count on me. After all, I just rid the earth of their team of Power Rangers and I managed to capture Zordon for you. You know I am well qualified for this job. Give me this chance, you won't be disappointed."

"Are you forgetting how long it took you to destroy those rangers?" Rita snapped.

"It didn't take me nearly as long as you and muscle boy over there." Divatox said.

"That is enough!" Dark Specter shouted. "Neither of you are capable of completing this job. Your track record proves that. Rita, you and Zedd never managed to destroy the rangers. It is to my knowledge that you only took out the powers of the Green Ranger nearly five years ago. What about the rest of that colorful brood huh? And Divatox, you may have succeeded in destroying the Turbo Rangers powers and brought me Zordon, but those teenaged brats are still alive and are seeking out their mentor as we speak. You are both failures in my eyes and have no right to aid me on this mission. Astronema, you will be the one to take out the Red Ranger. He is your enemy after all."

Astronema's shoulders were still heaving from her battle with Red Ranger, but she nodded her head understandingly. She stood to her feet and planted the end of her staff to the ground firmly before holding her head up high.

"He was mine to destroy Dark Specter. I don't know how he survived the attack on KO-35, but I can guarantee you that the rest of the Astro Rangers are dead. He will be joining them in the afterlife soon enough. I swear it."

Dark Specter nodded, proud of the determination she was displaying. "Astronema, you will pilot the Dark Fortress alongside your trusted caretaker Ecliptor. I am also giving you control of my Quantrons once again. You have my artillery to use at your disposal. I know you will complete this mission."

Astronema gave Dark Specter a final nod and turned to Divatox and Rita. After giving them a satisfied smirk, she and her Quantrons disappeared in a flash of light. She would destroy the Red Ranger no matter what the cost.

* * *

TJ and the other Turbo Rangers stood in silence for several minutes, not sure of what they should do. They had just been pulled onto an unidentified space craft and they had no idea who the pilot was. Why had they been brought here? Were they being captured? Perhaps the pilot was one of Divatox's minions.

"Come on you guys." TJ said, taking over his role as leader once again. "We have to find out who pulled us in here. They obviously had a very good reason."

The others weren't going to argue with him. Anything was better than waiting around on their shuttle for someone to come and attack them. Ashley and Cassie wrapped their arms around Alpha's before following Carlos and TJ off the shuttle. They found themselves in some sort of docking bay, the ceiling stretching at least another fifty feet above the roof of their shuttle. They looked around in awe at the unfamiliar place. There were lights hanging overhead casting a green glow throughout the room. They could see a sign on the wall up ahead where the words "Delta Bay" could be seen.

"So our kidnappers speak English." Ashley said. "That's a good sign."

"Let's hope so." TJ said before leading them across the room.

They made their way up three flights of stairs until they finally reached the door waiting up top. The door slid open and they could see a long corridor stretching out ahead of them. The lights were on and they could see that the floors were constructed of a heavy metal and so were the walls. They could hear the sound of an engine running off in the distance. Carlos shivered, suddenly reminded of the movie _Alien._ He could only hope this ship wasn't occupied by a crew that was being hunted down and eaten by flesh-eating extraterrestrials.

TJ moved ahead of his team, tiptoeing through the halls to remain undetected. They passed a few more signs on their way down the hall, but the words were written in an unfamiliar font, foreign to the human eye. When they reached the end of the hall, TJ held his hand up for them to stop before peering around the corner carefully. When he spied no one, he motioned his head for the others to follow after him. They began their trek down the second hall and passed by a sign.

"Astro Megaship." Cassie read aloud, relieved to be seeing words in English once more.

As they continued walking, Carlos spotted an odd camera-like object protruding from the wall. It had a red lens and appeared to follow them as they passed by it. He didn't voice his concern to his teammates and continued to follow after them.

Finally, for the first time in minutes, they spotted an opened door. TJ moved ahead of his friends and peered inside. There was a large object on the far left wall of the room. It was a cylinder shaped object and it had windows on the outside. He and the others walked into the room to view the foreign object. They looked through the windows and could see a large, orange sphere inside. It looked as though it were made of lava. Carlos looked above the structure and spied wires and tubes leading from it to the walls. He then noticed several large crates and bins stacked throughout the room.

"This must be the engine room." TJ said.

"It could be the engine, but who knows?" Carlos said. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"I'm starting to get the feeling that there's no one on this ship." TJ admitted. "We haven't seen anyone since we got off the shuttle and there aren't any alarms or cameras that have alerted anyone that we're here."

"Actually, I saw a camera earlier. It followed after us, but it could have just been a security camera, you know?"

"I don't like this guys." Ashley said nervously, her grip on Alpha tightening. "Maybe we should just go back to the ship?"

TJ shook his head. "We have to find out why we were brought here one way or another."

Ashley sighed, but nodded her head in agreement. She then followed after TJ and the others once again to continue their investigation. They walked in silence for another five minutes until they reached another room. There was no door on it, just an archway that lead them into a room where a table and six chairs were located. The ceilings were high in this room and they were curved. There were windows that gave the rangers the perfect view of the starry skies of space surrounding them. Ashley smiled in awe. It was even more breathtaking than their view had been on the shuttle. She looked around the room and could see another table opposite the other where a wall of glass could be seen. She approached it and realized that it was a holographic map of the Milky Way Galaxy. She scanned the room, noticing a wall of lockers that had red, pink, blue, yellow, black, and silver markings on them. She then spied matching tubes lining the wall across the room where two small sets of stairs could be seen. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear they were standing in the middle of some sort of Command Center.

Ashley was going to turn around and suggest they find another place to look, when she noticed a small structure protruding from the wall with a handle on it. She observed the word "Synthetron" on a sign just above it. She walked over to the machine and motioned to Carlos who joined her. They could see at least twenty different buttons on the machine's panel. They were divided into two categories: objects and food. Ashley raised an eyebrow and hit a button under the food column. A dialogue screen lit up beneath the word "Synthetron" asking her to request a meal. She thought about a choice for a few seconds before hitting another button. Carlos watched her with interest as a strange noise could be heard, followed by a beep. He pulled the door of the machine open and gasped at the sight of a veggie burger resting on a metal plate complete with toppings.

"Unbelievable." Ashley said as she reached inside to grab the meal. "This machine…it can make any food you want!"

"Let me try." Carlos said before repeating Ashley's earlier actions. The machine made the same beeping noises again and Carlos pulled the door open revealing a plate of chili cheese fries.

"TJ, Cassie, take a look at this." He called out to them happily as he and Ashley raised their plates for them to see.

"Where did you get that?" Cassie asked as she licked her lips and rushed over to snatch a fry off of Carlos's plate.

"The Synthetron." Ashley said with a smile. "I don't know how, but this machine can literally make any food you want."

"Just in time too." Carlos said as he shoved a handful of fries into mouth. Cassie decided to help him finish them off while Ashley took a giant bite from her burger.

"You guys, there's no one here." TJ concluded. "I don't understand. How could we have been pulled onto a ship with no inhabitants?"

"Maybe they left for a while?" Cassie suggested. "I'm not sure how they could without their ship, but it could be a possibility."

Carlos stopped eating, his eyes wide. He handed his plate to Cassie before walking over to the table. They had missed it earlier when they came in, but there was clearly a plate sitting on top of the table. He raised an eyebrow, observing the pile of pink mush on the plate resting beside some leafy substance and a mug. Carlos touched the edge of the plate and hissed before moving it back.

"Somewhere was here recently." He said. "This food is still warm."

The others exchanged a worried glance before looking back towards Carlos who had turned his attention from the plate to a strange rectangular object resting on the table beside it. He raised an eyebrow as he observed how the object had a screen. There was also some sort of digital pen resting beside it. Carlos touched his index finger to the screen and it lit up with life revealing some sort of word document.

"You guys…this thing is like some digital notebook." He said as he looked it over. The words were written in the same foreign font they had seen on some of the signs in the hallway.

"You're kidding?" Cassie said as she walked over to get a better look for herself, setting the emptied plate of fries down on the tabletop. "Whoa, you're right."

"You guys, check this out." TJ's voice came from out in the hallway. Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley joined TJ and Alpha who had slipped out of the room. They found themselves standing in an even larger room. There was a large-faced window directly across from the door that gave them a full-view of the galaxy. In front of the window was a large, curved control panel with three swivel chairs in front of it. There was a second panel behind it where two more chairs could be seen. The second panel also had a pedestal in its center where two large steering mechanisms could be seen. There were other chairs placed throughout the room and control panels, screens, and flashing blue, green, and yellow lights lined every wall.

"This must be the bridge." Carlos commented. "Look at all of this equipment. It's unbelievable."

Cassie walked over to one of the screens and touched it. She jumped in surprise as it lit up just as the digital notebook had moments earlier. She could see foreign data being displayed on the screen and she raised an eyebrow, not sure of what to make of it.

"Whoever owns this ship, they aren't from earth." She concluded. "This technology is far more advanced than any of what we have. Let's not forget the strange markings we've seen all throughout the ship."

"It's weird though. Some of the words are written in English." Ashley pointed out.

"So whoever own this ship is a techno-whiz, they're from somewhere other than earth, but they know our basic language." Carlos deduced. "What exactly are we dealing with?"

The rangers were pulled from their thoughts by small beeping noises. They turned and saw Alpha punching something into one of the keyboards on the left half of the room.

"Be careful Alpha." TJ said. "We don't want to mess anything up. Do you know what you're doing?"

Alpha muttered something incoherent before pointing at a small viewing screen to his right. TJ leaned forward, his eyes wide as he recognized the planet Jupiter within their view.

"You guys aren't going to believe this." He said, motioning for them to come and take a look.

"It's Jupiter, but how?" Cassie asked, confusion written on her face. "We hadn't even passed Mars yet while we were on the shuttle. How is it that we've gotten to Jupiter so fast?"

"What the hell is going on?" TJ asked.

* * *

Unaware of the four earthlings on his ship, Andros was busy flying at top speed away from Onyx. He still couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. A united, galactic alliance of evil villains were all serving Dark Specter and to make matters worse, the evil overlord had Zordon within his grasp and was draining his powers. Andros knew he had valuable information within his grasp, but what could he do with it? There was no longer anyone he could report to. The Grand Elder of KO-35 had been murdered in cold blood and he had no idea what had happened to Cain and the rest of his predecessors after KO-35 was attacked. As for the rest of his team, he knew all too well what had happened to them. He was on his own now and he had one of the galaxy's biggest secrets within his grasp; but what exactly could he do with it?

Andros was pulled from his thoughts as a laser blast flew past him, just barely missing his glider. He gasped and looked over his shoulder where two Quantrons could be seen chasing after him in vehicles he recognized as Velocifighters. He growled angrily before leaning forward on his board to increase his speed. He had to lose these creatures before reaching the Milky Way Galaxy. He couldn't let them know where the Megaship was.

As the creatures began firing at him again, Andros used his Spiral Saber to deflect the blasts. He managed to fend them off pretty easily, but the Quantrons weren't giving up. The Quantron on his right sent off a barrage of blasts and Andros cursed as his saber was knocked out of his hand and floated away from him. He turned away from the Quantrons and leaned forward, his foot pressing hard on the glider's accelerator. He sped away from them quickly, but came to an abrupt stop before turning around and taking his Astro Blaster from his holster. He loaded the weapon and aimed towards the Quantrons who were rapidly closing in on him.

"Astro Blaster, dual mode!" he shouted before open-firing upon his assailants. The blasts from his weapon managed to hit the exhaust pipes on both ships and the Velocifighters exploded upon impact. Andros smirked before flying over to where he'd dropped his Saber. He snatched it up before turning around and continuing his course towards the Milky Way Galaxy.

"Alright, time to get back to the ship."

* * *

"We just managed to make it to Jupiter in a matter of hours." Ashley said in disbelief. "Minutes if you count where this ship picked us up. It can take up to two years for a spacecraft from earth to travel this great of a distance. Do you guys realize what an advantage this places us at? We'll be at Eltar in no time!"

"But we're also at a disadvantage Ash." Carlos pointed out. "We have no idea who brought us here, or if they're even friendly."

The rangers were interrupted by Alpha who began talking frantically, waving his arms about as he looked at the computer screen in front of him.

"What is it Alpha?" TJ asked him. "What's wrong?"

Just then, the doors to the bridge slid open revealing a very unfamiliar Red Ranger. Cassie and Ashley looked at TJ, who looked just as shocked as they were, before looking back to the unfamiliar Power Ranger.

"Hi there." TJ said cautiously as he began walking slowly towards the Red Ranger. "My name is TJ and these are my friends. We're from the planet earth. Please, tell me. Is this your ship?"

The Red Ranger said nothing as he slowly began to back away from them. His hands raised in defense.

"Please, I know what this must look like to you, but we mean you no harm." TJ said reassuringly. "We didn't come here by choice. Sorry if we startled you."

Cassie and Carlos took a step forward and the Red Ranger broke out in a sprint. They watched as he began punching something into a keypad just outside the door and the sliding doors began to slide shut behind him. Ashley spotted another door on the opposite wall just as the Red Ranger ran past.

"You guys, this way!" she shouted.

They all began running after the Red Ranger, determined to find out what was going on. He was a good distance ahead of them and they had to make sure they wouldn't lose sight of him. Just as they rounded a corner, they spied a small hatch in the floor closing up ahead of them. TJ dropped into a skid like he was sliding into home plate and pulled the hatch open before climbing down the ladder. The others followed after him and they were shocked to find themselves standing in a hallway similar to the one they had been in just moments earlier. The only downside- the Red Ranger was nowhere to be seen.

"We have to find him." Carlos said. "We need answers."

Just before they could round the next corner, the Red Ranger jumped out, surprising them as he began to attack. TJ fended off his blows as best as he could while the others did the same, but the Red Ranger was strong. He sent a kick straight for Carlos and struck him in the chest, sending the Green Turbo Ranger across the hall and into a nearby wall.

"Wait, we don't want to fight you!" TJ pleaded as he held his hands up, trying to get through to the Red Ranger, but he was on the offense and didn't seem like he was going to be letting up anytime soon.

"No!" Ashley shouted when she saw him trying to attack Cassie. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, doing her best to restrain him, but the Red Ranger elbowed her in the stomach, causing her to release him to let out a strained cough.

The rangers were starting to believe they wouldn't get through to this unknown ranger when suddenly, the ship gave a violent shake, knocking everyone off their feet. It shook a few moments later and they could hear a loud explosion off in the distance. The Red Ranger stood to his feet before Ashley could grab him.

"Wait!" she shouted as he retreated down the hall, but before she or the others could reach them, he had made his way to another keypad on the wall. After punching in a code, the hallway wall slid down, sealing the rangers inside.

"I don't believe this." Carlos said, his mouth agape in shock. "It couldn't be, but it was."

"A Red Ranger." Cassie said in disbelief.

"If he was a Power Ranger, why would he attack us?" Ashley asked as she rubbed the sore spot on her stomach where she'd been elbowed moments before. "We're his friends, his allies. Doesn't he know that?"

"This must be his ship." TJ concluded. "It's the only explanation. He thinks we're his enemies. I mean, how would you react if you came back home to find someone you've never met before standing in the middle of your living room. He wouldn't have attacked us without reason. Somebody has to be after him. It's the only explanation."

The ship jolted another time and Ashley grabbed onto Carlos for support. "I think you're right Teej."

"We have to find another way out of here." TJ said.

"Let's go back the way we came." Cassie suggested. "That hatch has to still be open."

"Let's go." TJ commanded before running down the hall.

* * *

Andros ran onto the bridge of the Megaship, putting the five intruders out of his head as he grabbed the main controls of the Megaship. He hit a few buttons on the panel beside him, pulling up a visual of his attacker. He was stunned when he spied a large structure that he recognized from the files that use to be kept at the Capital building on KO-35. It was known as the Dark Fortress.

"Astronema." He said, her name rolling off his tongue like acid. His heart clenched painfully as the sounds of his friends' cries filled his head. He placed a hand to his head, pleading for the memories to leave him at peace. He got his wish as the ship was struck another time. Andros stumbled and grabbed onto the control panel to keep himself from falling over. He looked up and growled angrily at the sight of Astronema's fortress preparing to fire upon him again.

"D.E.C.A., set the thrusters at full power." He commanded, but D.E.C.A.' words filled him with fear.

 **The thrusters are currently disabled.**

"Pull up a visual." He commanded.

D.E.C.A. obliged and the screen ahead of him changed from a visual of Astronema's ship to a visual of the engine room where several cables could be seen dangling loosely from the ceiling, having become detached during the attack.

"Oh no." he said, his voice filled with fear. Without those thrusters, he wasn't going to stand a chance against the Dark Fortress.

* * *

TJ held a hand out to Alpha and helped pull him out of the hatch. Thankfully, it was still unlocked. The ship shook another time and he ordered the team to brace themselves against the wall to avoid falling over again. When the shaking stopped, Cassie gasped as she spied smoking spilling out of a room up the hall. She motioned for the others to follow her and they ran towards the room. They realized it was the engine room the closer they got.

The door was halfway open as they neared it and TJ and Carlos had to use all of their strength to finish opening it up. They stumbled into the room and could see the orange glow from the engine fading away quickly.

"The Mega Ship is losing power." Cassie realized. "If we don't do something, we could all die before we have the chance to save Zordon."

TJ and the others began looking around the room as they tried to locate the source of the power. TJ ended up spying a loose cable hanging from the ceiling.

"Up there." He said, pointing it out to the others. "That cable came loose. We need to reattach it and fast."

There was a ladder and a small walkway just beside the engine and TJ ran over to climb up. The others followed after him, wanting to help more than anything. There was a chance they could lose their lives and they weren't going to take it. TJ reached a hand out for the cable, but growled in frustration when he realized he couldn't reach it.

"I'm too short." He said. "We need something to try and reach it."

"Or someone." Carlos said, thinking over his options. He suddenly placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder. "We can lift Cassie."

"Say what?" she asked, thinking he had completely lost it. "We're being attacked by something and the ship is constantly jolting back and forth. What if he drops me?"

"Cassie come on, you're the lightest out of all of us." Carlos said trying to reason with her. "You're the only one who can reach it."

"Come on Cass, we have to try." Ashley said pleadingly.

Cassie bit her bottom lip nervously, not liking the idea of falling off the platform and onto the metal floor below. Deciding that it would be better to take that fall than to wind up dying in an explosion. She agreed. TJ smiled confidently before bending over so she could crawl onto his back. He then lifted her onto his shoulders. Ashley and Alpha held onto her legs to ensure she wouldn't fall off of TJ's shoulders while Carlos stood behind TJ, his back pressed up against the railing of the walkway to prevent TJ from falling over. Cassie stuck her tongue out as she did her best to make a reach for the cable. It was a few inches away from her fingertips. She growled as she tried her best to reach it, but the ship shook another time and the cable swung away. She screamed, terrified that she might fall, but she felt TJ's hands rest firmly against her thighs.

"It's okay Cass, I've got you." He said reassuringly. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Cassie took a deep breath before looking back towards the cable. She began swinging her arm as she tried to reach it, but her fingertips pushed it away. Just then, TJ stood on his toes and Cassie smiled happily as she wrapped her fingers around it firmly.

"I've got it!" she exclaimed.

"Alright you two, stay put." Carlos said cautiously before maneuvering his away around them. He viewed the engine's structure very carefully to asses where he should connect the cable. When he spied an open port he smiled before pointing. "I see it over here. Come on, let's hook it up."

* * *

 **Two-hundred meters and falling.**

Andros held onto the controls for dear life. He couldn't believe the mess he'd gotten himself into. If his cover hadn't been blown, Astronema wouldn't be busy hunting him down like some prized animal. Now that she knew he was alive, she would stop at nothing to put an end to him so he could rest in peace alongside his friends; but he couldn't allow that to happen. He took an oath when he accepted position as Red Ranger to fight until the end and he wasn't going to allow Astronema or Dark Specter to have the pleasure of killing him. He was strong, he was going to survive.

As D.E.C.A. reminded Andros that they were currently hurtling towards the surface of Jupiter, he had to think quickly of what to do. There wasn't enough time to make it to the engine room and reconnect the main cables. He was going to have to prepare himself for an emergency landing, there was no other option at hand. He steadied himself and wrapped his fingers around the controls before steadying the Megaship the best he could.

 **Astro Thrusters back online. Astro Blasters back online. Astro Cannon back online.**

Andros's eyes widened in disbelief as D.E.C.A. continued to name off all functions that were coming back to life. Not sure of what was going on, Andros changed the viewing screen back to a shot of the control room. His eyes widened as he spied Carlos and Ashley helping TJ and Cassie reattach the disconnected cables to the engine.

"What? I don't believe this…they're helping me? They were telling the truth. They aren't my enemies. Astro Thrusters, full power!"

Andros pushed the controls forward to try and regain control of the Megaship. Although he'd managed to get the ship to respond to his commands, he could still feel the ship being pulled forward unwillingly.

"The planet's gravitational pull is too strong." He realized. "Damn it. D.E.C.A., prepare for emergency landing!"

Andros held on for dear life as the Megaship descended quickly onto Jupiter's surface, landing with a thud. The force of the impact was enough to catapult him over the control panels. He landed with a thud, slamming into the wall just below the viewing screen. He could hear the sound of several other items in the Megaship falling over and he was immediately worried about the intruders. He stood to his feet and spared a glance at the screen. He could see red dust and rocks covering the surface of the planet.

"D.E.C.A., can you get a lock on the Dark Fortress?"

 **Scanning now. The Dark Fortress is still within Jupiter's orbit. My sensors indicate forty-plus life forms onboard.**

"Quantrons no doubt." He said. "D.E.C.A., I'm going to check on the intruders. Activate the ship's shields and raise the defense systems. We can't remain an open target. Astronema is going to attack again, you can count on it."

 **Roger that Andros. Megaship defense systems on. Shields, full power.**

Andros nodded before running out of the room and down the hall. He could hear the sound of moaning and a few coughs as he neared the engine room. When he stepped inside, he could see the four earthlings and their robot companion sprawled out on the floor.

"I thought you weren't going to drop me TJ?" Cassie asked sarcastically.

"Hey, I didn't expect to be knocked over alright?" he replied as he sat up and rubbed a sore bump that was beginning to form on the back of his head. He winced in pain, but froze when he spied the Red Ranger standing in the doorway. He motioned to the rest of his team and they all stood to their feet, unsure of what to say.

Andros eyed the four intruders and their robotic friend, unsure of what to make of the situation. First, he had found the five intruders walking around on his ship and then, they had managed to reconnect the cables to the engine after they had come disconnected during the attack. Remembering that the language they had spoken to him in earlier was English, Andros decided to use the foreign language to communicate with them.

"Who are you?" Andros demanded to know.

"We're the Power Rangers." TJ said, hoping that he could get through to this unfamiliar ranger. "We're from the planet earth."

 **Andros, my sensors indicate that Astronema is landing on Jupiter's surface.**

Andros took off towards the bridge again, leaving the others behind, confusion on their faces. Deciding not to ask any questions, they followed after him. When they reached the bridge, Andros was already positioned at the controls, prepared to fire if necessary.

 **Astronema is unleashing her forces.**

"Quantrons." Andros said knowingly. He could hear Ashley ask her friends what a Quantron was. Before he could explain an image of the Quantrons materializing just outside of the Megaship could be seen.

"There's so many." Andros said as their numbers continued to increase.

"We can help you." TJ spoke up suddenly, causing Andros to look over his shoulder towards him. "Look man, you have to believe us. We are the Power Rangers. Well…we were the Power Rangers. It's a long story and I'd rather not go over details right now. What's important is that we get to the planet Eltar. We have to save our mentor Zordon."

At the mentioning of Zordon's name, Andros turned around to face the four teens and their robot.

"D.E.C.A., what's our status? Are we able to take off?"

 **The Mega Accelerator has been disabled. A launch is impossible at this time. Mega Lasers are also down and the Mega Cannon has been disabled as well. Engine is online, but power sources are depleted completely. Mega Decks five and six are running on auxiliary power.**

The Turbo Rangers gasped as they spied the robotic creatures running towards the Megaship. Andros saw their horrified expressions and looked over his shoulders to view the creatures closing in on his ship. He ran out of the room, the others following after him to another part of the ship where the words "Mega Deck One" were written above the archway. There was a sliding door just up ahead that they assumed led out of the ship.

"The Quantrons are on the move." Andros explained. "I have to stop them before they do irreparable damage to the Megaship."

"We're coming with you." TJ said.

Andros was about to protest, but these four strangers didn't appear to be backing down for any reason. He sighed before motioning for them to follow after him. These four strangers had appeared from out of nowhere and in that time, they had managed to intrude upon and fix his ship. Still, he wasn't too convinced that he could trust them just yet. If what they were saying was true and they were Power Rangers, they should be able to help him defend his ship. That was his main priority right now and he knew he couldn't do it alone. Swallowing his pride, Andros commanded D.E.C.A. to open the doors of the ship where the surface of Jupiter and an army of foot soldiers awaited them.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends the first chapter. I hope you guys like all of the changes I made and I hope you are willing to give this story a try. The episodes from the show (at least the ones I liked) will be included; but of course, with some alterations. There will also be several new monsters that weren't featured in the show and we'll see a little bit more into our character's relationships. I am also excited to slowly debut my adaptation of what could have potentially been a part of Andros's past. So, I hope you are all willing to give this fanfic a try. If not, oh well. Thanks for stopping by. See you at the next update. Review!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	2. Allies

**A/N:** **Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter as promised. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter whether it was to tell me how much you loved it and how much you enjoyed the changes. I am also thankful to those of you who offered constructive criticism or even flames. Hey, I can't progress as a writer without proper feedback, right?**

 **Also, for this chapter, you get a brief flashback of Andros and the original Astro Rangers. Just so you guys can be aware of casting and have a visual idea of what the rangers look like…**

 _ **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**_

 _ **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**_

 _ **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…Casey Deidrick**_

 _ **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**_

 **The original Astro Rangers (with the exception of Zhane) are actually all actors/actresses on** _ **Days of our Lives.**_ **I wanted them to play the roles of the original Astro Rangers because I felt that they looked the part lol**

 **FLASHBACKS ARE IN ITALICS. BOLD PRINT IS D.E.C.A.**

 **Now that you know what these rangers looked like, on with the update!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Allies"**_

Andros charged down the ramp of the Megaship towards the oncoming group of Quantrons. From what he could tell, there were more than forty. That was enough for him and the former Turbo Rangers to take down eight a piece. Not wanting to waste any time, Andros tackled one of the creatures to the ground and smirked before standing to take on another two that had come up behind him. They swung their bladed weapons, hoping to slice him into pieces, but Andros managed to dodge each of their blows before tripping one of them and sending a right hook to the other's face. He quickly grabbed hold of the fallen Quantron's weapon and stood to his feet, using it as his own personal weapon to take down two more. He wasn't too sure why he had been so worried at first by their numbers. They were falling down so easily. He looked over his shoulder and gasped at the sight of the earthlings struggling against the foot soldiers.

Cassie cried out in pain as one of the Quantrons struck her with their weapon. She clutched at her now bleeding arm and hissed as she tried to ignore the pain. The soldier ran towards her and she kicked him in the gut as hard as he could, causing him to stumble backward. Before she could finish him off, another Quantron ran up behind her and wrapped its fingers around her hair. She yelled in pain as she felt her scalp being tugged on. The Quantron gave her hair another good yank before kicking her twice in the back. She fell on the ground and winced as she tried to stand up.

"Hang on Cassie!" TJ called out to her as he ran over to try and assist her, but a Quantron ran in front of him to keep him from reaching her before swinging aimlessly at him with his weapon. TJ jumped out of the way, not wanting to be sliced to pieces by the curved, jagged-blade, but he was struck in the head by the elbow of an unsuspecting Quantron who had run up behind him. His vision was blurry and he swore he was seeing stars at that moment. He could just barely make out Cassie a few feet in front of him trying her best to defend herself against the Quantrons where were beating her to a pulp.

Across the space, Carlos and Ashley were working together to try and stop the monsters. Carlos ran and lifted Ashley up by her waist before tossing her up into the air like a flyer in a cheer routine. Ashley extended her legs as she made her descent and she successfully took out two Quantrons before landing safely back in Carlos's arms. The two then locked their right hands together before turning and kicking their legs outward to knock two more Quantrons to the ground. They smiled, thinking they had the Quantrons beat, but another group was charging towards them. Before either of them could react they were knocked to the ground. Ashley pushed herself back up quickly and executed a fan kick to fend off an oncoming blade. She cried out as she felt the blade slice through her calf muscle. Carlos also found himself being overpowered and was tossed across the area like a rag doll, skidding across the dirt. He lifted his head weakly and looked back towards Ashley who was being held in a Full Nelson as she struggled to free herself. He then spared a glance to his right where Cassie and TJ were in the same predicament. He gasped as a Quantron approached him. Not wanting to wind up in the same position, he tried attacking the creature, but it was no use. He too was restrained as he tried to wiggle free.

The Quantrons restraining the four Turbo Rangers moved so they were standing in a horizontal line as four other Quantrons appeared with their weapons drawn, prepared to strike them down; but Andros had seen the rangers struggling and summoned his Astro Blaster.

"Fire!" he shouted as he squeezed the trigger. A huge blast erupted all around the rangers and their captors released them to try and avoid the blast. The four Quantrons who had just been determined to eliminate them were caught up in the blast and destroyed. The remaining Quantrons quickly fled the area as Andros began to open fire upon them. When the smoke cleared, he smirked at the realization they had fled back to the Dark Fortress.

"Ashley, are you okay?" Carlos called out to his friend as he helped her onto her feet.

"Yeah, I think so." She said, wincing as her calf muscle stretched, reminding her of the huge gash in it.

Cassie pressed her hand firmly to the open wound on her arm to try and slow the bleeding while TJ did the same to the wound on his head. Carlos wrapped Ashley's arm around his shoulders to help her stand as he thanked God he had been spared of any more injuries.

"Anything broken?" Ashley asked as she looked her friends over worriedly.

"Not that I know of." Carlos said.

Andros approached the rangers with a sigh. They all looked up as he stopped in front of them.

"Who are you?" Cassie asked cautiously. Sure, he had allowed them to help him defend his ship, but that didn't change the fact that he was still a complete stranger to them. He had seen their faces and learned they weren't a threat to him, but could they say the same about him?

"Power Down." Andros said as he crossed his arms above his head and swung them down slowly. A flash of red light surrounded him for a split second and next thing the rangers knew, an unfamiliar man was standing in front of them.

Ashley's eyes widened in interest. The man had olive colored skin, a hard jawline and chocolate brown eyes. His most interesting feature was his long, shoulder-length hair that was dark brown with blonde highlights. Parts of his hair were tucked behind his ears and the rest of it was hanging loosely over his shoulders. He had two small, golden hoop earrings in his left ear and he was wearing a pendant around his neck. He was dressed in a red shirt that was hidden beneath a gray jacket with matching slacks. There was a yellow rectangle on the back of his jacket and he was wearing a black belt through the loops of his pants. His pants' legs were tucked inside a pair of strap-on black boots. He was so very handsome, but could it all be an illusion?

Ashley pushed Carlos's arm away as she strode over to Andros, an investigative look on her face as she placed her hand to her chin in thought. She began to circle him slowly while Andros watched her intently, trying to figure out what she was doing. She took mental notes of how broad his shoulders appeared to be and how his muscles were big enough that they could be seen even though he was fully clothed. He appeared to be harmless, but Ashley had to make sure. She hesitantly reached a hand out and poked him once, then twice with her index figure. Just to be sure she gave him one final poke. She sighed with relief.

"You're human." She said in realization.

"What did you expect?" he asked her with a roll of his eyes.

"I don't know." Ashley said as she cocked her head to the side and moved to stand beside her friends again. "You're not from earth are you?"

Andros sighed. "Earth isn't the only place humans live."

Carlos's eyes widened. He certainly wasn't expecting to hear that. After all, scientists and teachers had been telling the world for years that earth was the only planet their sensors could track where humans could dwell. Sure, there was speculation that there was life off the planet. Hell, Zordon, Rita, Zedd, the Machine Empire, Divatox, and all of their goons were proof of that; but another planet of humans existed somewhere in the galaxy unbeknownst to earth's small-minded populous.

"My name is Andros. I'm from a space colony known as KO-35. It's located in the Karova System."

"So you're from outer space?" TJ asked as he tried to wrap his head around everything that had just happened.

Andros replied with a simple nod.

"That's incredible." Carlos said with a smile.

Cassie gave Andros a smile of her own as she walked towards him and nodded her head. "My name's Cassie. It's really nice to meet you."

Ashley gave Andros a sweet smile too and stepped in front of Cassie who gave her a knowing smile. She could tell when her friend was interested in someone and it looked like Andros was her next target.

"And I'm Ashley." She said as she batted her eyelashes.

"Carlos." The former Green Ranger said as he offered a nod of his head.

TJ then stepped forward and extended his hand. "TJ."

Andros jumped back, confused by the sudden gesture. He watched as the earthlings gave each other a confused look. Whatever TJ was doing, it was foreign to him but common for them. Not sure of what to do, he mimicked TJ's actions and gave him his hand. TJ smiled and shook it before backing away to give the guy some space.

 **Andros, I have completed the damage assessment**

Andros raised his communicator to his mouth. "I'm on my way."

He turned on his heels and headed back for the Megaship while the others watched him go. Cassie smirked at the back of Ashley's head before tiptoeing over to poke her playfully twice on the shoulder.

"You're…human!" she said as she opened her mouth, doing her best to look surprised.

TJ and Carlos started laughing as a blush spread across Ashley's face. "Hey, I didn't know. He could've been a giant lizard or something. I had to be sure."

TJ stopped laughing, leader mode turning back on. "His ship is in pretty bad shape. We should probably see if he needs a hand."

"We should also contact earth and let Justin know that we're alright." Cassie suggested. "He's got to be out of his mind with worry."

"There are several calls we need to make." TJ said. "We can worry about that once we're sure the Megaship is up and running again. Come on."

* * *

Andros walked onto the bridge and over to one of the screens on the far right wall. He began pulling open several screens, reading over the information carefully as he tried to assess the situation. The Megaship's power supplies were depleted, meaning he was going to need to find an alternate source if he had any hopes of going after Dark Specter. That was the other problem he had to face. Just where was Dark Specter keeping Zordon. He had to find Astronema and question her if he had any hopes of finding out.

Just as Andros moved away from the screen to assess the damage done to the laser cannons, the doors to the bridge slid open. He looked up as TJ and the others walked into the room.

"So, how bad is it?" TJ asked casually as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Most of the ship's defensive systems are off line- the cannons, the lasers…it's going to take me several hours to get them up and running again. Shields are down to four-percent and I don't have the necessary power to take off of Jupiter's surface. The planet's gravitational pull would drag me down if I even tried."

"If we can't make it to Eltar, maybe we can set a new course for Onyx." TJ suggested to his friends. "Remember that strange reading we got while we were still on the shuttle? Maybe that's where Divatox has taken Zordon."

"He's not on Onyx." Andros said as he pulled out his digital notebook and began writing down a few formulas. "I was just there."

"Did you see Zordon?" Ashley asked hopefully.

"Dark Specter has Zordon. He's currently in the process of draining all his powers."

The Turbo Rangers were horrified by this news. Zordon was the reason they were rangers. His power is what gave them powers in the first place.

"If Zordon loses his powers, we're all history!" Cassie said in disbelief.

"Calm down." Andros said. "Zordon is very strong. It's going to take time before Dark Specter can completely relinquish him of all his powers. That gives me some time."

Cassie frowned at his words. "You can't possibly think we're going to let you do this alone Andros. Zordon is our friend and mentor. We have the same mission Andros. We can all work together to stop whoever this Dark Specter creature is and save Zordon."

"Cassie's right." TJ said with a firm nod. "We all have the same goal. We can help you."

"You guys are planetary rangers." Andros said with a stale laugh. "You don't know the first thing about space. You don't know about other planets, Quantrons, how to pilot the Megaship. You don't even have powers from what I can tell. What use would you be to me?"

It was a low blow, and it hurt like hell, but he wasn't exactly wrong. As far as TJ knew, the only rangers who had ever ventured to outer space were the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers during their quest to find the great power on Phaedos to save Zordon almost three years ago. Even then, they weren't traveling across the entire galaxy facing the forces of an evil space emperor who was hell bent on conquering the galaxy. They were trying to save their mentor and the earth, the planet they were sworn to protect.

"Look Andros, I know that we don't have the expertise to venture through space to find Zordon. But at least let us help you fix your ship?" Cassie suggested. Andros gave her a questioningly look, but she smiled anyways. "We've had to help Alpha and Dimitria make repairs to our Command Center all the time. We may not know as much as you do about this ship, but we can help you as best as we can."

Andros sighed. He wished more than anything that he could get these earthlings off his ship and back to earth where they belonged, but they were persistent to help him. He knew they wouldn't take no for an answer even if he tried to tell them off, so he nodded his head.

"Sure."

Andros got right to work explaining what each control panel in the room was responsible for before splitting the rangers up into groups to begin repairs. He decided that TJ and Cassie could take care of the cannons and lasers while Carlos and Alpha took a look at the engine to try and find an alternative power source that would last long enough for Andros to return home to retrieve another. In the meantime, he and Ashley began working on fixing the shields.

Andros said nothing as he walked over to a cabinet near the right panels and began taking out a few tools. He then motioned for Ashley to follow him down the hall. She nodded before walking after him.

"So, you're the only one on this ship huh?" she asked him as she did her best to start up a conversation. "Don't you have a crew to help you run it?"

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of this ship on my own." He said, his tone cold. A look of hurt flashed across Ashley's face, but Andros paid it no mind and led her into the engine room. Carlos was busy fiddling with Alpha's circuits while D.E.C.A. gave him clear, yet complex instructions on how to repair the damaged robot.

"This is hopeless." Carlos said as he did his best to try and reprogram the speech circuit. Andros rolled his eyes before moving to help.

"Let me see." He said before setting his tools down and moving over to help. Ashley and Carlos watched in amazement as Andros picked up a small blow torch and began working to fix their friend.

"Alpha, what is your mission?"

As Andros continued to work, Alpha began speaking and the words were becoming clearer and clearer to the rangers. Andros grabbed a small diskette from his tools and inserted it into Alpha's back before using the torch to secure it.

"My mission is to help the Power Rangers on their quest to protect the universe from the forces of evil. One goal, one team, known as the Power Rangers! Ai,yi,yi,yi,yi! I can speak again. This is fantastic. I thought I would never be understood again."

Carlos and Ashley smiled at their friend and how elated he appeared to be. Alpha's voice was much higher than they last remembered, but they could understand him and that was all that mattered.

"I don't have a computer chip with his old voice." Andros said with a shrug.

"That's quite alright Andros." Alpha said as he gave him a pat on the back. "I'm actually very fond of this new one. It suits me well if I do say so myself."

"Thanks man." Carlos said. Andros responded with a nod before moving to climb up the ladder. Ashley followed after him.

"So we're going to fix the shields. Then what?"

"Once I get the Megaship up and running, I'm going to take a look at your shuttle to make sure it can make it back to earth."

Ashley gasped. "Why are you trying to send us back to earth? Andros, come on."

Andros gave her an icy stare and Ashley flinched. "Maybe you didn't understand what I said to you and your friends earlier. It doesn't matter that you're rangers, this is a mission you aren't going to be able to complete. We're going to fix both ships and then you guys are going back to earth to continue living your lives as usual. I will see to it that Dark Specter and Astronema are stopped and that Zordon is back on our side."

The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments until Andros turned and opened a panel on the wall just beside the engine. He grabbed one of his tools and began fiddling with the wires while Ashley looked on.

"You don't like accepting help do you?" she asked him after watching him for several minutes.

Andros sighed as he finished what he was doing and closed the panel. He then walked past Ashley to climb down the ladder. She followed after him, determined to figure out what exactly he had against them.

"Andros, come on. We can help you."

Andros ignored her and continued down the hall. After realizing that he wasn't going to talk to her, Ashley sighed and stopped her pursuit. She wrapped her arms around herself before moving to help Carlos and Alpha back in the engine room. Just as she prepared to round the corner, she spotted a door with a yellow rectangle on it, similar to the one on the back of Andros's jacket. Ashley raised an eyebrow before walking towards the door. It slid open willingly and she stepped inside. The room was completely black and she gasped as the door slid shut behind her.

"Wait, no!" she shouted as she turned around and began beating her hands against it. "Hey, help! Can anyone hear me? Somebody please, get me out of here!"

When she received no reply, Ashley sighed before turning around. She squinted through the darkness, trying her best to find a light switch in the black abyss. She felt around the wall and smiled when her hand came in contact with some sort of switch. She quickly flipped it on, eager to rid herself of the darkness surrounding her. The lights faded on slowly, offering her some light. Unfortunately, the lights were very dim so they offered her little to no comfort. Ashley looked around the room trying to see if there was another way out of the room. That's when she spotted a strange structure protruding from the floor in the middle of the room. There were six multicolored pipes climbing up from the floor and up into the air, twisting together like the gnarled branches of a tree. There was a metal plate in the shape of a circle that stopped a fourth of the way from the top of the twisted pipes like the top of a table or counter. The six pipes then separated, their ends bent towards the center of the tabletop where a small green light could be seen.

Curious as to what the strange statue could be, Ashley approached the table to get a closer look, her eyes widened at what she saw. The pipes were the same color as the lines on the lockers she and the others had seen in the room with the six matching tubes and the Synthetron: Red, Silver, Blue, Black, Pink and Yellow. What really caught Ashley's attention were the sight of four morphers, their straps wrapped around the pipes. The red pipe and the silver pipe held no morpher, but the other four did.

"I don't believe this." She said as she reached a hand out and removed the Yellow Morpher from its pipe. She moved it around in her hands as she observed every detail of the device. It was the same size as the Turbo Morpher strapped onto her wrist, but there was no key to go with it. Her eyebrows knit in confusion as she turned it over in her hands to try and figure out how the damned thing worked. That's when she caught sight of a small red button located just beneath a yellow rectangle that was very similar to that of the one on the door and Andros's jacket. She pushed the button and jumped as the button unlatched a small panel, revealing numerical pad beneath it. She hesitantly reached out a finger and pressed one of the buttons.

 **3**

Ashley gasped as the morpher spoke the number. "I don't believe this. These are morphers…why are there only four though and six pipes? I mean, it's obvious that Andros has the one from the red pipe, but what about the rest of them? The silver one is gone…does that mean there's another space ranger just like Andros? What about the rest of these morphers?"

The door to the room suddenly slid open. Ashley gasped and quickly scrambled to reattach the morpher to its pipe. She then leaned to see who had opened the door. When she spied no one, she quickly made her out of the room and down the hall towards the engine room.

Carlos looked up at her when she came into the room and he didn't fail to notice the guilty look on her face.

"Ash, what's going on?" he asked her. "Are you okay?"

Ashley opened her mouth, prepared to tell him everything that she had found, but she was cut off by D.E.C.A. requesting their presence on the bridge.

"I'll tell you later." She said before motioning for him to follow after her.

* * *

Carlos and Ashley walked onto the Bridge where Andros was positioned at the Megaship's controls facing the doorway. Cassie and TJ were already there waiting on them when they walked into the room.

"What's going on?" Carlos asked nervously as he felt all eyes on him and Ashley.

"I've finished doing a full assessment of your shuttle." Andros announced. "You have enough fuel and supplies to make it back to earth. I've already set in the coordinates. Your shuttle isn't as fast as the Megaship. I estimate it will take you guys two days to get back to earth."

TJ looked over the faces of his teammates. They were all upset and disappointed that Andros still wasn't willing to let them help, but what could they do? His mind was obviously made up and there was no changing it.

"Thanks man." TJ said as he patted him on the shoulder. Andros gave him a curt nod before turning to take another look at the control panels of the ship.

"D.E.C.A., take them down to the Space Hatch." Andros commanded.

A pair of doors slid open and TJ realized it was an elevator. He and the others stepped on and gave Andros one final glance as the doors slid shut. Ashley's mind ventured back to the room with the twisted pipes and she cleared her throat.

"You guys aren't going to believe what I found on the ship." She said, gaining the others attention. "There were morphers, four of them."

"What?" Carlos said in disbelief as the elevator doors slid open and they exited the ship.

"I'm serious you guys. I found this room near the engine room. The lights were off, but when I finally got them on, I saw this strange structure in the middle of the room. There were four morphers strapped onto these pipes. There were six pipes, but two of them were empty- the red and silver. Obviously, Andros has the Red Morpher."

"Then what about the Silver Morpher?" Cassie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been wondering the same thing." She said.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. The rangers took off in a sprint towards their shuttle which was parked a good distance away from the Megaship. They looked back towards the Megaship which was making a loud descent off the ground. They shielded their eyes and waved the ship off before it took off in a flash, leaving Jupiter's surface behind.

TJ sighed and turned to his friends. "We need to get back to earth. We're its protectors remember?"

"Yeah, you're right." Carlos said. "My mom's going to kill me, or ground me for life."

"Why don't you just tell her that you're a Power Ranger?" Cassie suggested with a laugh. "I'm sure she'll get a rise out of that."

Carlos shook his head before they all began their trek towards the shuttle. Ashley suddenly stopped and began frantically looking around, her eyes wide with panic.

"You guys, where's Alpha?" she asked.

The others immediately stopped walking and began looking around. They recalled the events of leaving the shuttle and realized that Alpha hadn't gotten on the elevator when they left the Bridge. In fact, he had never come back to the Bridge with Carlos and Ashley.

"He must still be on the Megaship." Cassie groaned. "Oh my God, what are we going to do? We have no way of getting in contact with Andros to bring him back!"

As if on cue, a group of Quantrons appeared in a flash of light. The others stood behind TJ, ready for him to command them into action. He leaned to the left prepared to shout "Shift into Turbo," when he suddenly remembered that his powers wouldn't work. He spared a glance at his teammates who had fear written all over their faces. They had just finished dressing the wounds from their last battle. There was no way they would be able to survive another.

"What do we do? We can't morph!" Ashley said as she looked around at the large crowd of foot soldiers running towards them.

TJ knew deep down that they weren't going to be able to win this fight. The Quantrons had proven to be practically invincible during their last run-in. Andros was the only one who seemed to fair against them, but that was probably because they were his typical opponents. That, and he still had his powers. Swallowing his fear, TJ stood upright and nodded at the approaching fleet.

"We fight." He said. "Give it all or nothing."

The others realized that this was their last resort, but nodded before raising their hands in defense and charging towards the Quantrons.

Carlos was struck by an extended blade before he even had the chance to throw his first punch. He had to raise his arms to protect his face from the oncoming attacks from the bladed weapon. The Quantrons were laughing maniacally as they overpowered him. TJ and the others weren't having any good luck either. They were outnumbered and being overpowered easily. It wouldn't take too long for them to either tire our or to be defeated.

"Someone help me!" Ashley pleaded as a Quantron got her into a chock hold, their forearm wrapping tight. She began gasping for breath as she struggled to pry the Quantron's fingers from around her throat, but they wouldn't loosen.

"Ashley, hang on!" Carlos shouted from his place on the ground. He tried to get back onto his feet, but the Quantrons wouldn't let him back up.

TJ tried to run to help her, but he too found himself trapped by a barricade that wouldn't let up. He tried to push his way through, but was interrupted by Cassie as she let out an ear piercing scream. He looked to his right where he had last seen her and felt his blood turn to ice as he spied her lying on the ground, the blade of a Quantron protruding from her arm as she was being surrounded by the creatures.

"Cassie!" he shouted, suddenly desperate to get to her and help. He could hear Cassie screaming as the blade twisted through her arm, followed by the sounds of Ashley coughing loudly as she tried to find the strength to breathe. Carlos began yelling too from his place on the ground TJ could see blood visibly streaming down the Green Ranger's face.

TJ was suddenly cracked over the head by the hilt of a Quantron's weapon. His vision faded to black and he slowly sank onto his knees before landing face first on the ground.

"TJ, no!" Cassie shrieked as tears fell from her eyes. She let out another yell as the Quantron twisted the blade further into her arm. She had never felt such an intense amount of pain; and judging by the amount of blood that was sliding down her arm, the ending results weren't going to be any good. If only she had her Auto Blaster or Turbo Wind Fire, she'd be able to knock these sorry Quantrons on their asses. Unfortunately, she had neither. She didn't even have the power to morph. She and her friends were in serious trouble and the only person who could help them had flown off with Alpha in tow.

"Please no…" she whispered to herself.

She looked over towards her friends who had all fallen. Ashley was rendered unconscious from the choke hold, TJ had yet to stand up after being knocked out, and Carlos was starting to lose consciousness.

"No!" she cried out, her voice echoing out all around her. "It can't end like this! Please, no!"

* * *

Andros stared at the screen in front of him as he made his way towards the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. He had been flying for nearly ten minutes when the alarms began going off. He hit the button next to him, pulling an image up on the communication screen. The Dark Fortress could be seen within Jupiter's orbit and Astronema was sending hundreds of Quantrons down to the planet's surface. His brow knit with worry as he was suddenly concerned about the earthlings he'd left behind.

"They must have gotten off the planet by now." He said reassuring himself. "There was no need for them to stay behind. I have no time to worry about why Astronema hasn't left orbit. I have to get back to Onyx to see if Dark Specter has left. D.E.C.A. launch the Megaship into Hyper Rush 3. I want to make it to Onyx as quickly as possible."

 **Hyper Rush 3, activated.**

The ship leaned forward and began moving through space at top speed. Andros smirked as he realized he'd be back on Onyx in a matter of minutes. He'd be able to find out whether or not Dark Specter had retreated. If he had, he was bound to have left some trace of him behind, and Andros was going to find it and go after him.

The Bridge doors suddenly opened and Andros raised an eyebrow before turning around. His eyes widened as Alpha walked into the room, his little robotic legs moving slowly.

"Alpha, what are you doing here?"

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! Andros, you're making a big mistake! You have to return to Jupiter right now. The rangers need your help. The five of you have the same mission. You guys can work together. You can be a team."

 **I believe Alpha has made a valid point Andros.**

"Quiet." Andros commanded D.E.C.A. He then turned to face Alpha. "I work alone Alpha, I don't need them."

"If you're going to rescue Zordon, you're going to need all the help you can get. You can't do everything by yourself all the time. Sometimes, you need a little help."

"You don't understand." Andros snapped and Alpha jumped, surprised by his sudden outburst. "I work alone for a reason. I am not cut out for being a team player, okay? I tried that in the past and surprise, surprise, I wound up alone. I've learned how to take care of myself. It's easier to watch out for myself than it is for me to watch out for others. They have no idea what kind of risks they would be taking going into space with me. They don't know anything!"

"Then you could try teaching them and showing them how to do things like a space ranger." Alpha said. "You're right, I don't know much about you, but take it from someone who knows Andros. It's better to accept help from others rather than doing things by yourself. Teamwork can go a long way."

The memories in Andros's head began pouring into his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut, but they wouldn't go away. He could see the smiling faces of the former Astro Rangers, his friends and it was killing him inside. He had been a part of a team so long ago and lost each and every one of them. The pain was so far too great that it still hurt him and he couldn't handle losing anyone else in his life. Still, Alpha had a point. TJ and the others were Power Rangers regardless of what planet they were sworn to protect. They needed Zordon in their lives just as badly as he did.

* * *

" _Andros…you have to stop being so hard on yourself." Adia said as she walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "So we botched our first mission as rangers. Who cares? We have five years to try and get this ranger thing down. We have to try and learn from our mistakes so we can do better next time."_

" _Adia's right." Koyu said as he sighed and averted his gaze to the floor, not wanting to show Andros how much it hurt his pride to say what needed to be said. "I'm sorry for acting like such a jackass. I could've gotten us all killed because I let my ego get in the way. I hope we can…move past this and try to at least act civil to each other."_

" _Well what do you know? Koyu's gone soft on us." Zhane said with a laugh._

" _I have not." Koyu said turning his nose in the air as he folded his arms over his chest. "I'm just now realizing that maybe I don't have what it takes to be leader of this team."_

" _Hey, Andros may be the leader but we are all still a team and we have to remember that." Malina said with a confident smile. "The only way we're going to make it as rangers is if we stick together."_

" _Cain and his team are one of the greatest teams KO-35 ever had." Andante said as he wrapped an arm around Malina's waist and pulled her close to him. "We have some very big shoes to fill, but we can do it…together."_

 _Malina smiled as Andros stood upright and gave them all a grateful smile. When things had first gone awry with the mission, he wasn't too sure Cain had made the right choice as making him the leader; but it was clear to him now that being the leader didn't just mean that he was in charge of leading the Astro Rangers and giving them direction. Sometimes, it meant that the Astro Rangers were there to build him up to help him become a better leader._

" _Thanks guys." Andros said. Adia wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight and she was soon joined by Malina. Andante and Zhane patted Andros on the back before sparing a glance at Koyu who was keeping his distance, his arms still crossed._

" _Come on Koyu, join in on the team love." Zhane said with a cheesy smile._

" _Not a chance."_

* * *

Andros felt tears brimming in his eyes as he thought of his friends. They had been right back then. He needed his teammates to help him just as much as they needed him as a leader, and the Turbo Rangers were no different.

"Alpha, stay here." Andros instructed the robot as he bolted out the doors.

Alpha watched as he disappeared around the corner. "It's about time he woke up. D.E.C.A., can you set a course for Jupiter, Hyper Rush 3?"

 **Changing course now. Megaship is now on course for Jupiter. Hyper Rush 3 activated.**

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! Hang on rangers, we're coming!"

* * *

 **A/N:** **So Andros has decided to accept help from the Turbo Rangers after all? Like you guys didn't already know that was going to happen. Anyways, go ahead and leave me a review. I'll see you at the next update!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	3. Power Rangers in Space

**A/N:** **Hey guys, I'm back with the next update a lot sooner than last time. I figured I should finish this three-part introduction so the true "meat" of the story can be revealed.**

 **Thank you so much to all of you who have favorited/followed the story and a special thanks to everyone who's left me a review. Reviews inspire me to keep writing and they give me an idea of where to take the story next. Also, to those of you who have been leaving me constructive criticism/comments, those are appreciated too. Thanks guys, you're awesome!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Power Rangers in Space"**_

Cassie was struggling to stay conscious. Her head was spinning from the amount of blood she was losing and she wasn't sure how much more she could take. One of the Quantrons stood her up and held her from behind, trapping her in his arms just like the Quantrons from the first fleet had. Only this time, she didn't have the strength to fend them off. She was pulled across the landscape towards her friends, who were also barely conscious as they too were restrained by the Quantrons. The creatures laughed maniacally before lining up just as a flash of purple light appeared a few feet in front of them. As it let up, a woman dressed in a seductively tight body suit with a silver breast plate and black boots strutted towards them. She had on a pair of black gloves with metal wrist protectors as well. The most striking thing about her was her vibrant and curly purple hair that was hanging loosely over her shoulders, secured by a silver headband that wrapped all the way around her head. She was absolutely breathtaking to look at because of both her beauty and the maniacal look she was giving the rangers.

She twisted a lock of her hair around her finger playfully as she began to walk slowly back and forth in front of them, taking in their disheveled, bloodied appearances.

"So, this is what Power Rangers look like when they've completely lost their powers." She said with a small laugh. "What a sorry sight. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I pity you poor, pathetic excuses for heroes."

"Who are you?" TJ demanded to know as he swayed back and forth within the arms of his captor.

The beauty smirked, taking a small pose. "You don't know me? Why, I'm quite insulted. I am Astronema, Princess of Darkness and your worst nightmare. Tell me earthlings, where did the Red Ranger go?"

Cassie growled angrily and used what little strength she had to lean forward. "I would never tell you." She shouted.

Astronema smirked. "You're pretty lively for someone with a hole in their arm."

Cassie screamed in agony as Astronema pressed her thumb to the opened wound and pushed against it before twisting her finger around, Cassie's blood staining her glove.

"Stop it!" TJ pleaded. "Leave her alone. We don't know where the Red Ranger has gone just like she said. Now let us go."

"If you don't know where he is, that's fine. I guess I can't be too torn up about it. However, I can't just let you go. I might end up regretting it later. So, if there's nothing more for you to say, I have no use for you. None at all."

The rangers tried their best to free themselves as Astronema began walking away, but they were too weak to escape. Once she was a good distance away from them, the gaseous sky above them parted in the shape of a circle, revealing the dark, starry skies of space up above them. Astronema smirked.

"Time to go." She said before disappearing in a flash of light.

The rangers stared up at the sky, terrified of the fate that was to befall them. Suddenly, the sky lit up as a bright blue beam shot through the gaping hole. The Turbo Rangers screamed as it began closing in on them, but just in time, the Astro Megaship descended onto Jupiter's surface. The Quantrons were startled and released the rangers, giving them time to run away from the blast. The beam struck the group of Quantrons who had previously been holding them prisoner as the Megaship landed a few feet in front of them.

Cassie and the other rangers collapsed on their knees, completely wiped out from the ambush.

"I don't believe this." Ashley said with a smile as she placed a hand to her throat, relieved that she could breathe again. "It's Andros. He came back."

"Cassie, are you alright?" TJ asked her worriedly. She nodded as she pressed her hand to the bleeding wound in her arm.

"I'll be okay for now."

TJ spared a glance at Carlos who had wiped away the blood on his face and was smiling with relief. He gave TJ a brief nod to reassure him that he was alright. Just then, the doors to the Megaship opened and Andros came running down the ramp.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked them.

"Thanks to you." Ashley said, giving him a warm smile. "What changed your mind? Why did you come back?"

"Well, I had a stowaway on the Megaship who kind of made me realize that I can't find Zordon on my own. As much as I hate to admit it, I do need your help."

TJ smiled gratefully. "Thank you Andros, you won't regret it. Things will be much easier for us if we all work as a team."

Andros sighed before raising his hands to reveal the four Astro Morphers that Ashley had seen earlier. She gasped before looking up at Andros who was looking them all over with determination in his eyes.

"I couldn't have said it better myself TJ. I know you guys lost your powers, but I have a few morphers on hand that could prove to be useful to you guys during our journey. I figured you could borrow the powers temporarily, you know?"

TJ and the others nodded, forgetting their injuries and embarrassing defeat, and removed their Turbo morphers, shoving them into their pockets for safe keeping. Andros then walked by them slowly as he handed the morphers to them. Even though he knew he could trust these earthlings to help him, it still hurt like hell relinquishing the morphers of his fallen comrades to these new heroes. As he placed the morphers in each of their hands, he saw the faces of Andante, Koyu, Malina, and Adia smiling back at him as though they were telling him it was okay for him to move on. He sighed before pressing the red button on his morpher to open the hatch. The others did the same, observing the worn out numerical pads beneath them.

"To morph into an Astro Power Ranger, you have to use an Astro morpher." Andros explained, giving his new friends a brief run down. "In order to activate your morphers, you must enter the code 335 using the numerical pad before pressing enter. The power from the morpher will then become yours."

"This is much simpler than using a key." Carlos commented as he made a mental note of where each button was located.

Andros nodded, but gasped before pointing behind the others. They turned around and saw another fleet of Quantrons materializing behind them.

"Not again." Cassie said as she continued to apply pressure to her injured arm.

"We don't have time for a practice run guys." Andros said. "Are you ready for this?"

They all nodded.

"Let's rock it!" Andros shouted. He threw his right arm forward before moving to enter the code into his morpher. The others followed suit and in a matter of seconds, they all morphed into the Astro Power Rangers.

TJ and the others observed their new uniforms in awe. They were practically identical to Andros's uniform, only they were different colors. The visors on their helmet also differed in shape. TJ observed the holster at his side where a blaster was located and was relieved to finally have a weapon again. He was also amazed that by morphing, he suddenly felt powerful once more, no longer concerned about his head injury. He spared a glance at Cassie and the others who also seemed to be doing a lot better. Cassie and Ashley were still the Pink and Yellow Rangers, but he and Carlos had traded red and green for blue and black.

"The Power Rangers are back." TJ said triumphantly. "This is great."

"I've never felt so much power before." Ashley said as she observed the outfit.

Andros looked over his comrades and had to look away. Even though he knew the earthlings were inside the suits, he still felt like his former teammates were standing beside him.

"You can marvel at your suits later." He spoke in a strained voice. "Right now, we have to stop these Quantrons."

"Right." The others agreed. "Power Rangers!"

Andros smirked before summoning his Spiral Saber and running towards the awaiting crowd of Quantrons. He began slicing them down with ease, not even bothering to fend them off. They wouldn't stand a chance against him. TJ and the others ran towards the creatures as well and were amazed at how easy it was to take them down in comparison to earlier.

Carlos raised his hands and caught the oncoming blade of a Quantron before forcing the blade into another. The second Quantron fell to the ground and Carlos laughed.

"Doesn't feel so good, does it?"

Ashley did a few back flips into the center of a gathered crowd before dropping into a sweep kick. The Quantrons leapt over her extended leg, but she was back on her feet in no time and knocked two down with a fan kick. She then did another back flip away from the creatures before stepping forward and kicking them with a second fan kick.

TJ and Cassie were working together, tag teaming as they fought of the group surrounding them.

"This is way easier than earlier." Cassie commented as she and TJ leaned their backs against each other and slowly began moving in a circle. "These guys don't stand a chance."

"I'm kind of interested to see if we have any new weapons." TJ said. "What do you think is in the artillery?"

"There's only one way to find out." Cassie said as she raised her hand to the sky. A ray gun appeared in her hand with a satellite cone surrounding it. She gasped in surprise as the words "Satellite Stunner" appeared in her visor. She raised an eyebrow before aiming at a group of Quantrons and squeezing the trigger. A set of pink energy rings emerged from the ray gun, destroying the Quantrons on impact.

"Amazing! This is much cooler than my bow and arrows. Hey Teej, give it a try."

TJ nodded and raised his hand in the air as a blue-handled axe appeared in his hand. He observed the sharp blade as the words "Astro Axe" scrolled across the screen of his visor. He ran away from Cassie towards two Quantrons and in one steady motion, chopped them both down with ease. He smiled proudly at his new weapon before going to assist Cassie once more.

Across the clearing, Ashley and Carlos had discovered the Star Slinger and Lunar Lance as their special weapons. Ashley was using the slingshot to fire upon her opponents while Carlos dug the staff into the ground, using it to support himself as he jumped into the air and swung around on the stick, kicking the Quantrons as they went by. They fell to the ground, disappearing in a flash of light.

"This is so cool." Ashley said, admiring her new weapon. "I don't think any rangers had powers like these back on earth."

"You can say that again." Carlos said.

Ashley and Carlos looked around as the remaining Quantrons began to run off. They were pleased to see the other Quantrons following after them as they retreated. The Black and Yellow Rangers ran over to Andros while Cassie and TJ followed suit.

"They've retreated. We won." Ashley exclaimed.

"Andros, are you okay?" Carlos asked their comrade.

"I'm fine." Andros replied. "I should be asking all of you the same question though. You looked like you were done in for when I arrived on the Megaship. You may not feel your injuries now, but the minute you power down, I'm going to have to take you to the infirmary to tend to your injuries."

"Well, we'll have plenty of time for that." Cassie said as she placed a hand over her wound. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and she could feel the ache of her injury.

Andros sighed as he looked up at the helmets of his new teammates. "We can't celebrate just yet. I know Astronema, so trust me when I say she does not give up very easily."

Cassie looked up towards the sky as the sound of an approaching engine reached her ears. She could see a small flighter ship heading straight towards them.

"Look out!" she shouted as she pointed up towards the oncoming ship. The rangers took off running as the ship open fired, determined to catch the rangers in a blast. They managed to dodge the first few blasts, but suddenly, a barrage of lasers began firing upon them. TJ looked back towards the sky and gasped at the sight of seven other ships chasing after them.

"You weren't kidding." He said as he and the others dove behind a large rock formation to take cover from the blasts. "Astronema is hell bent on destroying us."

"Let's get back to the Megaship." Andros said as he stood to his feet. "It's the only way we can fend off a fleet of Velocifighters this large."

The others nodded before standing to follow after him, dodging the Velocifighters' blasts as best as they could manage. Andros raised his communicator to his mouth and ordered D.E.C.A. to open the ship's doors. They slid open just as Andros and the others rangers were running up the ramp. Andros turned around quickly and punched a code into the keypad just beside the door to seal up the ship. He then continued running towards the Bridge, the other rangers right on his tail.

When the rangers entered the Bridge, Alpha was positioned at the main controls holding a large electrical box in his hand. Andros gave him a questioning look before shaking his head and taking hold of the main controls. The other rangers stood behind them and removed their helmets to get a better view of what was going on. Andros followed suit and set his helmet on the floor before taking the controls in his hand.

"D.E.C.A., let's get out of here now."

 **Ignition on. Preparing for takeoff.**

The TJ and the other rangers had to steady themselves against the wall as Andros slowly lifted the Megaship off the ground and began a quick descent out of Jupiter's atmosphere. They watched in amazement as the viewing screen showed how quickly they had lifted off the planet's surface. The speed was unreal and was unlike anything they had ever witnessed before.

Andros's eyes narrowed as he watched the gaseous atmosphere of Jupiter fade away from view. "D.E.C.A., can you locate Astronema?"

 **The Long Range Scanners are still down. Launching a scan using Short Range Scanners now.**

Andros sighed as he realized just how much damage had been done to the ship, but he pushed his thoughts aside and turned them towards the one and only person who mattered at the moment- Astronema.

 **Unknown space craft approaching from Quadrant 415.**

TJ and the others exchanged a glance, not entirely sure of what D.E.C.A. was referring to, but they focused their attention back on Andros and the viewing screen as he pressed a button to change the viewing screen to focus on the oncoming ship.

The ship was creepy looking, almost like that of a robotic elephant with razor-sharp teeth. The ship looked impenetrable and its cannons were raised and ready to fire.

"Shields up now." Andros commanded and the panels below Andros lit up.

 **Alien craft is firing.**

"Everybody hold on." Andros commanded. TJ leaned up against the wall and Cassie held onto him for support. Carlos did the same thing and wrapped his arms around Ashley tight, not wanting her to fall. The Megaship shook violently and the rangers were almost knocked over by the force of the blast. Andros began typing something into the control panel to his right before moving back to the main controls.

 **Mega Lasers locked on target.**

"Fire!" Andros shouted. The others watched the viewing screen. Several of the Megaship's lasers had struck the alien space craft and had done some irreparable damage from what they could tell. Sparks spat off the sides of the ship and smoke could be seen spilling from a gaping hole that had been blown in the front of the ship, but the spacecraft wasn't going to give up just yet. It fired upon the Megaship and everyone, with the exception of Andros, landed on the metal floor with a thud. They stood back to their feet quickly, not wanting to miss a second of this shoot out.

"I hope the box is alright." Alpha said as he reached for the metal object he had dropped on the floor. TJ spared a glance at his robotic friend and raised an eyebrow. He was definitely up to something.

 **Andros, shields are down to four percent. The ship won't last much longer.**

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! I've done it!"

Everyone turned to Alpha who was holding the box in his hand. Andros noticed that a few wires from the Megaship were connected to the metal box.

"Alpha, what have you done? Those wires are connected to the Megaship's shields. We're losing power."

"I'm sorry Andros, but I needed a little more energy to crack the code of this box I found in the engine room. I didn't want to say anything when I found it because I had to be one-hundred percent sure, but now that I've done my research, I am positive that this box has the ability to transform the Megaship into the Astro Megazord."

Andros raised an eyebrow, suddenly interested in Alpha's theory. "Are you sure Alpha?"

"I'm positive Andros. Technology is my expertise after all and there is no mistaking it. This box is similar to the boxes that Zordon and Dimitria had me build to put inside the control panels of both the Turbo Megazord and the Turbo Rescue Zord. These boxes are what power up the Zord, I'm sure of it!"

Andros was completely shocked by this news. He hadn't known that box was onboard the ship, let alone that it had the power to transform the Megaship into a Zord. He hadn't piloted a Zord since the Astro Power Zord was destroyed in his final battle on KO-35. Cain hadn't mentioned anything about the box when he and the technical expert Harper had first debuted the Megaship. Perhaps they didn't know either. Whatever the reason for its being here, it couldn't have appeared at a better time.

"What do we need to do Alpha?" TJ asked, eager to test this new Zord out.

"This box helps control the space shuttle so it can combine with the Megaship to create the Zord. It's all a part of Zordon's master plan."

Andros raised an eyebrow before turning around to face the robot. "What do you mean? What master plan?"

"Andros, the Karovians have had the Astro Ranger Powers for centuries since he first bestowed them upon your people, and the Megaship was created upon his instruction. Zordon knew that someday your people would cross paths with the humans from the planet earth, so he had a box created to not only bring your ships together to create a Zord, but to bring you all together as a team."

"You knew from the beginning that we were going to join forces." Andros realized.

Alpha nodded. "Yep, and now, you guys can join your space crafts together to take down Astronema!"

"What do we need to do Alpha?" Carlos asked.

"I will handle the controls here on the Bridge while I connect the box. You guys need to get down to the shuttle and prepare for take-off and docking."

The rangers looked to Andros who had a conflicted look on his face, but he nodded before reaching to grab his helmet.

"Back to action."

* * *

The rangers made their way onto the cramped shuttle and took their seats. Andros quickly started a launch sequence and the hatch of the Megaship slowly slid open. After taking off, they flew a great distance away from the Megaship to give them enough space to watched in amazement as the Megaship began to split apart, reforming into the body of the Zord, the red M on the ship's hood becoming the Zord's chest.

" _Rangers, it's Alpha. Begin docking sequence now!"_

"Begin docking." Andros said as he moved the controls so they could head back to the ship. They stopped just above the top of the ship and were amazed as the shuttle began to refigure itself, forming the head of the Zord. As soon as they were attached to the fully completed Megazord a new control panel appeared from the floor of the shuttle and the rangers took hold of their new controls.

"Astro Megazord, online." Andros said. "I don't believe this, it actually worked."

A giant saber appeared in the hand of the newly formed Zord, along with a shield. The display screen began relaying information to the rangers, revealing to them the Zord's power sources, its shield levels, the status of its weapons, and the Zord's artillery. There was so much this Zord could do and it was mind boggling to the rangers.

They didn't have time to marvel over their new toy however, for the alien spacecraft had begun firing at them once more. The Mega Zord's shields fended off the blasts, but that didn't stop the rangers from being jolted around inside.

"We need to do something about that ship and fast." Ashley said. "I'd hate for us to lose our shields."

As the ship fired again, Andros took a firm hold on his controls. "Astro Mega Zord Saber, now! Thrusters, full power."

The Zord took off at lightning speed towards the space craft. Andros commanded Ashley and Carlos to swing the saber, being that they controlled the Zord's right arm. The two of them nodded before using their controls to raise the Zord's arm into the air, the blade of the sword aimed directly at the alien spacecraft. Andros forced the thrusters control mechanism into full power and the Zord slid right past the space craft, slicing it all the way through. The ship exploded on impact and the rangers cheered excitedly at their victory.

"A direct hit." Andros said. "I can't believe this."

"The Power Rangers are back at full strength." TJ said with a proud smile. "Astronema had better watch out. She has no idea who she's messing with."

The others laughed at the Blue Ranger's words before high-fiving each other.

Andros smiled. "Astro Mega Zord, power down."

* * *

Astronema watched the scene unfolding before her with fury blazing in her eyes. She reached a hand down to the keyboard in front of her to rewind the image, just to make sure she wasn't losing her mind. Sure enough, the Astro Mega Zord could be seen as it sliced its sword straight through her flighter ship. She growled angrily before slamming her fist down on the keyboard and turning around to glare at her foot soldiers.

"You all have failed me." She growled angrily. "That flighter ship could have easily destroyed that space shuttle before it had time to dock onboard the Megaship. The rangers now have a weapon strong enough to destroy anything I send their way. Tell me, what are you going to do to fix this?"

When the Quantrons looked back and forth between each other and the evil empress before them, she shouted in frustration before unleashing her fury upon them in the form of electrical blasts using her hands. The Quantrons fled the room quickly, leaving the empress to herself for the time being. Astronema turned back to her computer before pulling up an old scene of her minions destroying the space colony KO-35. She watched as the former Astro Rangers were taken down one by one and couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her face at the sight of the Red Ranger hanging onto the demorphed Yellow Ranger's broken corpse as he screamed to the heavens above, angry and defeated.

"I don't know how you survived that day Red Ranger, but mark my words…you will regret escaping death. By the time I'm finished with you, you're going to wish you had perished along with your pathetic friends.

* * *

After bandaging his new friends up and treating their wounds, Andros had given them all outfits similar to the one he wore, with the exception of the shirts matching their ranger colors. As bland as they were, they fit the rangers nicely. Andros then took his friends on a tour of the Megaship, not leaving out any details to be sure they understood what objects performed what specific tasks. If they were going to be Astro Rangers, they were going to have to learn everything they could about outer space and the advancement of technology in other galaxies.

Andros led his friends down the main hall of the ship and onto the Bridge, his hands behind his back as though he were some sort of tour guide while the other four rangers took mental notes of everything he said.

"The Megaship's vital systems are controlled by D.E.C.A. She's got eyes and ears all over the ship."

 **I speak over five-thousand languages.**

"Fine D.E.C.A."

 **I also navigate all known galaxies.**

"Okay D.E.C.A., we get it."

 **And I'm certified in medical, psychological, and-**

Andros smiled as he touched a button on the far right wall. "This is how you shut her voice off."

The other rangers laughed at Andros's small sign of having a sense of humor. They then grew serious as TJ stepped forward.

"So, where do we start to look for Zordon?" he asked.

"We start by fixing the Megaship." Andros said as he folded his hands in front of him and casually strode over to the Megaship's controls. "She took a lot of damage during the course of the last battle we had and she won't be able to travel too far of a distance. Unfortunately, I don't have any of the equipment that we need onboard the ship and I'm too far away from my planet to grab supplies there."

"Well…we can go to earth." Cassie suggested. "NASADA is located just outside of Angel Grove. They constructed the shuttle we came here in and I'm sure they can help us repair the Megaship. If they don't have everything you need, they can at least help us out so the ship can hold up long enough for us to reach your home world."

Andros bit his bottom lip, unsure of whether or not he could trust the scientists on this foreign world; but after seeing the confident looks on his friends' faces he sighed.

"Well, I guess we can go. We really do need the…help." Andros walked over to the main controls and switched D.E.C.A.'s voice controls back on. "D.E.C.A., set a course for…earth."

The other rangers cheered, excited that they would be returning home to their friends and family. Alpha muttered something to D.E.C.A. about helping her set the course while Andros stared at the starry sky on the display screen.

Everything was happening so fast and he wasn't sure how to handle it. In one day, he had managed to learn of Zordon's kidnapping. He'd also managed to find Dark Specter and Astronema, the two evil monarchs who were responsible for destroying KO-35 and its forces. He was also conflicted about passing his fallen teammates morphers onto four new rangers. It was hard seeing these earthlings wearing his teammates clothing, but it was even harder on him seeing them behind the helmets that once housed his friends. In spite of how much pain he was experiencing, he was also overjoyed at having people around to help him and talk to him. He hadn't had true companionship or a true conversation in almost two years and it had become a foreign behavior to him. After all, D.E.C.A. had been his only friend all this time, one that he knew would never leave him.

Andros spared a glance at his new rangers and smiled softly at the sight of them talking and laughing with each other. In spite of everything that had happened to them, they still managed to smile and go on with their lives. If only he could be that strong. If only he didn't let his past weigh him down.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. I really hope you guys liked it. See you at the next update!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	4. Welcome to Earth

**A/N:** **Hey guys, I'm back with the next update. Thanks to everyone who's been leaving me reviews. I really appreciate it so much. You have no idea how much! You're all awesome!**

 **Astro Rangers:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Welcome to Earth"**_

Andros, Carlos, and Cassie stood back and watched Ashley and TJ as they stood in the center of a large empty room that Andros referred to as the Simudeck. He had explained to his new rangers that the Simudeck was designed by a former ranger on KO-35 who felt the rangers needed a way to practice and lounge around at their leisure when they're traveling for weeks at a time on the Megaship.

"So, this room can change into any setting you want?" Cassie asked, amazed by Andros's quick breakdown of the room's function.

He nodded once and smiled before moving to a panel on the wall. "D.E.C.A. has sensors that can scan all known areas in the galaxy. If there's someplace you want to go, all you have to do is tell her and ask her to start the simulation. When you want her to stop, you simply ask to stop the simulation. Want to give it a try?"

Cassie nodded excitedly. "As much as I hate the place, I really want to see something familiar. D.E.C.A., I want to be at Angel Grove High School. Start simulation."

Andros raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar scene in front of him while the others looked around, both excited and stunned at what they were seeing. Andros noticed the bright orange-colored walls and the green lockers that lined the walls. There was a staircase up ahead, a few drinking fountains here and there, and posters and bulletin boards lining the walls.

"Let me try next." Carlos said. "D.E.C.A., take us to Angel Grove Park. Start simulation."

The room quickly morphed from the school hallway to Angel Grove Park. The earth rangers were amazed that they could feel the wind blowing around them. The sky was clear and blue above their heads and they could see Angel Grove Lake off in the distance as gulls flew overhead.

"This is incredible." Ashley said as she looked around in awe. She crouched down and placed her hand to the ground, gasping as she realized the blades of grass were real.

"D.E.C.A., stop simulation." Andros commanded. The park quickly faded away and Ashley frowned as the grass disappeared and was replaced with the cool metal floor of the ship.

"I've never seen something so amazing." TJ said. "Your people really are more technologically advanced than we are on earth. This is the kind of technology we dream of having and you guys have turned it into a reality."

Andros smiled as he took the compliment. "The Simudeck can also be used for training exercises, just as I mentioned earlier. TJ, Ashley, why don't you two give it a try?"

The two of them shrugged before unlatching the lids of their morphers. "Let's rock it!"

The two of them quickly morphed and Andros instructed D.E.C.A. to begin training simulation one. The room darkened and the rangers found themselves standing inside some weird vortex where green webbings were strewn about the room. Suddenly, four foot soldiers appeared. They had golden masks on their faces and were dressed in pink body suits.

"Those are Craterites." Andros explained. "Think of them as a slightly modified version of a Quantron. Now remember, these creatures may just be a part of the simulation, but they are as real as it gets, so be sure you're on your guard."

"Gotcha." TJ said. "Alright Ash, are you ready?"

"You bet." She said before running towards the Craterites. Ashley kicked one of the Craterites in the chest before dropping into a sweep kick, knocking the soldier onto its back. The creature quickly stood to his feet and swung at her, but Ashley easily side stepped away from it before jumping in the air and bringing her hand down in a slicing motion. Cassie and Carlos watched with wide-eyes as Ashley's hand gave off the appearance of being a blade for a split second. The Yellow Ranger landed swiftly on the other side of the Craterite and cheered as it disappeared. She then moved to attack another Craterite.

TJ in the meantime was busy using his Astro Axe to attack a Craterite. "Watch this guys!" TJ moved his feet close together and outstretched his hand so the blade of his axe was facing the Craterites. He then began spinning very quickly and moved by the Craterites, destroying them both. Ashley whipped out her Star Slinger and destroyed the final Craterite before going to give TJ a high-five.

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed.

"D.E.C.A., end simulation." Andros said before walking over to his friends. Ashley and TJ removed their helmets, revealing their excited faces.

"So, what do you guys think of the Simudeck?" Andros asked.

"It's amazing." Ashley said, her smile growing. "It's a great way to stay sharp. It's also a great way to take a breather when we're away from home."

Just then, Alpha's voice started over the intercom. _"Rangers, we have just reached earth. We're home!"_

Everyone began cheering, with the exception of Andros. Cassie, Carlos, and TJ rushed off the Simudeck to prepare for landing while Ashley hung back and observed Andros's skeptical looks. She smiled encouragingly before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Have you ever been to earth before?" she asked him sweetly.

"No, never." He said. "I'm kind of nervous about going. What if NASADA can't fix the ship."

"Hey, try not to worry about that and relax. The people of earth might just surprise you." Ashley wrapped an arm around his and smiled. "There's so many cool things about earth that I'm sure you'll love. There's beaches, music, the mall, and you can't forget about all of the amazing food. Trust me, it's a life-changing experience."

Andros smiled at her. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Astronema watched her viewing screen and smirked at the sight of the rangers' space shuttle making its way towards the earth. She chuckled before strutting across the room to take a seat upon her throne.

"The rangers are taking one of the main pieces of their Megazord back to earth. They couldn't be making a bigger mistake. This is just too easy."

"You're right about that Astronema. They're making a colossal-sized mistake." A strange voice came from the opposite side of the room. Astronema summoned her staff quickly and aimed at the intruder. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the pink creature with the pointed head and blue nose from the evil alliance dinner.

"You…what the hell are you doing here?" she demanded to know as her face contorted into one of disgust as she looked the smelly being over.

"Whatever you wish for me to do my queen." came his reply. "I'm not a good housekeeper, so don't ask me to do your chores or you'll regret it. The name's Elgar and I am starving. Please tell me you have some decent grub onboard this Dark Fortress of yours."

Astronema waved her hand and immediately, two Quantrons had Elgar restrained. "I want this disgusting abomination off my ship at once. I think there's a black hole coming up ahead of us. That will be the perfect place for him to spend the rest of his miserable life."

"Hold your horses Astronema!" Elgar shouted as he struggled to free himself from the Quantrons' grasp. "Don't shoot the messenger. Dark Specter sent me here. He said you could use my help."

"Wait a minute." She said to the Quantrons, causing them to release Elgar. "Dark Specter sent you here because he thinks I need your help? Is he out of his mind?"

"Now come on Astronema, things won't be so bad. Hey, I helped Aunty D destroy the Power Chamber on earth and even managed to get the upper hand on those pesky rangers quite a few times in the past. I am the perfect candidate for being your right-hand man. Trust me, you won't be disappointed."

"You fool, I'm already disappointed." She groaned before turning her attention back to the viewing screen. "Well, if Dark Specter sent you, then I can't dispose of you. I'll lose my credibility. So if you have to stay, you're going to do exactly as I say, no questions asked. Got it?"

"Boy, does this job sound familiar or what?" Elgar groaned.

Astronema flipped her hair over her shoulder as she began to pace back and forth in front of her evil minions. "The Power Rangers have retreated to the planet earth onboard the shuttle they pilot to control the Astro Megazord. I have no idea why they have gone back to earth, but it couldn't have been at a better time. I want you all to go to earth and destroy the rangers' space shuttle. Without it, they won't be able to make it back to the Megaship, nor will they be able to construct their precious Astro Megazord. We're going to cut them off at the head by any means necessary."

The Quantrons began cheering as they pumped their fists and weapons up in the air, eager to carry out their evil plan. Astronema smiled maniacally before turning her attention back to her viewing screen.

"Ready or not rangers. Here I come."

* * *

The rangers' space shuttle touched down at NASADA's base and was docked quickly. A group of NASADA's workers came to help the rangers out of the shuttle and back into headquarters.

"You've returned the shuttle." General Norquist said with gratitude in his voice. "Tell me rangers, have you managed to complete your mission."

TJ smiled at the man and shook his head. "I'm sorry, we haven't. But don't you worry about a thing. We're going to do everything within our power to keep you and the rest of the people of the earth safe."

"General Norquist, you haven't told anyone our secret, have you?" Carlos questioned the older gentleman, still unsure of whether or not they could trust him.

The man raised his hand in the air. "I swear to you all, I would never divulge your secret. It is safe with me."

"Thank you." Ashley said smiling gratefully.

"Well, if you kids haven't completed your mission, what are you doing back here on earth?"

"We ran into some enemies during our journey and the shuttle has taken some damage." TJ explained. "We also have a secondary ship we're using for transportation, but we need a few supplies so our new pilot and team member Andros can begin making repairs. Do you think you can help us out?"

"Are you kidding me? You guys are the Power Rangers. Of course I'll help you out."

TJ and the others smiled before sparing a glance at Andros. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a set of blueprints before handing them to the scientist.

"This is a basic run-down of the Megaship. I know that most of the circuitry and some of the charts are foreign, but I've written down a few items that we can use as substitutes to help repair the ship."

The man looked over the complex blueprints and raised an eyebrow before looking up at Andros. He smiled before patting Andros's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll have everything up and ready to go by tomorrow at the latest."

* * *

"What are we going to tell our parents?" Ashley asked worriedly as she and the others rode back into Angel Grove in Carlos's jeep. "They've got to be out of their minds with worry."

"My dad's going to ground me for life." Cassie groaned as she placed a hand to her forehead. "He'll never let me out the house again. He'd probably even go as far as to attach a tracking device to my ankle."

TJ nodded. "We all have quite a bit of explaining to do. Not just to our parents…but to a few other important people."

Carlos sighed when he realized what TJ meant. "Are you really thinking about contacting Tommy and the others? I mean, they aren't rangers anymore man. We probably shouldn't concern them with our problems."

"I know, but I still don't feel right about not telling them. Tommy placed the Red Turbo powers in my hand because he felt that I was the perfect person to fill his shoes. He put his trust and his faith in me. He was my mentor. He showed me how to be a good Red Ranger and how do I repay him? I allowed Divatox and her goons to gain access to the Command Center that had been hidden from several evil monarchs of the past and she destroyed the entire place, including our powers. The legacy Tommy and the others left behind…is gone. I've failed him. I've failed as a leader."

Cassie frowned and placed a hand on TJ's shoulder. "Teej, you have to stop being so hard on yourself. What happened was beyond your control."

Andros looked up at Cassie, a frown on his face as he thought about his own failures in life. Ashley noticed the conflicted look on his face and placed a hand on his knee. Andros didn't bother looking at her and she sighed before turning her attention back to her friends.

"Okay, guys. Let's focus on something else for a while. Where is Andros going to stay while we're here on earth?"

"I can just stay on the Megaship." Andros said with a shrug. "It's where I live now anyways, it's no big deal."

"Come on man, we don't want you staying up on that ship all by yourself any longer." Carlos said as he spared Andros a glance through the rearview mirror. "You were nice enough to allow us onto the Megaship, your home. Now let us allow you into ours."

"You can stay with me." TJ said with a smile. "My brother has gone off to college and we use his room to house guests. My parents would love for you to stay with us."

Andros smiled. "Sure, that sounds great."

The rangers rode the rest of the way to Angel Grove talking about movies and music as they tried to fill Andros in on their culture. He didn't have too many questions, but he seemed very interested in the creativity humans on earth possessed. He was amazed by all of the colors that whizzed by as they sped through the city and he explained to his new friends how KO-35's buildings and walls were all white as a way to promote peace and tranquility. Painting walls was such a foreign thing to him, so seeing the different colors all around him as they drove through the city was breathtaking. Ashley began pointing out points of interest as they made their way through the streets of Angel Grove, briefly explaining what each one was. The ice cream parlor, restaurants, the arcade, the park, and several other hot spots.

The speedy tour came to a stop as Carlos turned the corner and parked on the curb just outside Ashley's house. She took a deep breath before hopping out of the jeep and crossing her fingers.

"Wish me luck guys." She called out over her shoulder. The others waved her off before speeding down the road to take Cassie home.

Ashley took a deep breath before walking up to her front door. She bent down to grab the spare key from under the mat before unlocking the door and stepping inside. The kitchen lights were on and she could see that someone had left the television on in the living room. She sighed before heading into the kitchen and fidgeting with her hands nervously. Her parents and older brother looked up from their meals and smiled happily.

"Oh, honey you're home." Mrs. Hammond said cheerfully. "So, how were things on that camping trip?"

"Camping trip?" Ashley repeated, a surprised look on her face.

Her mother raised an eyebrow. "Yes honey, camping trip. The one that Justin called your father and I about. I think it's so sweet how you and your friends are always looking out for Justin. There aren't too many kids his age who have such a high intelligence level, but you guys never make him feel like the odd-man-out. He really respects you guys."

Ashley smiled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I guess he does."

"Well now that you're back, would you like to have something to eat? I know it's not your favorite, but I made meatloaf."

Ashley nodded before moving to take a seat at the table with her family. Her brother Greg observed the strange outfit she was wearing and snorted.

"What's with the weird outfit Ash? Did you just come back from a NASADA convention?"

Ashley scratched the back of her head nervously. "It's one of my new designs for fabrics class. I wanted to try something…out of this world, you know?"

"Well I think it's lovely dear, but come on. You have a million other colors you can choose from to accent that jacket other than yellow." Her mother said. "You already have like fifty yellow outfits in your closet upstairs. Why don't you mix things up a little, you know? Green's a pretty decent color on you. Your friend Carlos seems to like the color."

Ashley groaned. Yep, she was definitely back at home.

* * *

"TJ, make sure you give your friend some extra blankets and a few towels." His mother called up the stairs. "Make sure the window's closed in his room too. I'd hate for him to catch a cold or something."

TJ shook his head with a smile before leading Andros up the stairs and into his brother's unoccupied room. Andros observed the room and its slate-colored walls. There were posters all over the place of a few R&B groups that Andros didn't recognize. There was a huge computer with an outdated screen resting on a desk just beside a large queen-sized bed. There were also a few other pieces of furniture in the room like an old wooden dresser, a small television set, and two beanbag chairs. There was a Nintendo 64 hooked up to the television sitting right in front of it on the floor.

"Make yourself at home." TJ said before moving to his brother's closet to pull out a few extra blankets.

"Your parents seemed to take your disappearance pretty well." Andros said with a smile.

TJ nodded. "If Justin hadn't told them that fib about me and the others taking him camping, I think I'd be in loads of trouble right now."

"So, who is this Justin kid? Is he a friend of yours?"

"Yeah, he's a great friend." TJ said as he tossed one of the spare blankets to Andros. "Justin was our Blue Turbo Ranger, but he's much younger than we are. Justin is only thirteen and we couldn't' allow him to go with us into space. He has so much more to do with his life before we could even consider letting him join us on our mission."

"I was wondering why your team only had four rangers." Andros said.

TJ grew silent as Andros moved over to take a seat on the bed. The Red Ranger began twisting around the locket on his neck, a distant look in his eyes.

"Hey Andros, I've been needing to ask you. What happened to your family? I mean, if it's too hard for you to talk about, I understand. I shouldn't be prying like this, I'm sorry."

Andros shook his head and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "No TJ, you don't need to apologize. I don't blame you for wanting to know more about me. I'm not exactly very open with my past. It's…still so fresh to me, you know."

"I understand. Maybe you'll be able to tell me about it someday."

TJ turned to leave, but stopped when Andros began speaking. "My parents are alive. They escaped from KO-35 when the planet was evacuated. I haven't seen them since. Dark Specter and Astronema…they launched an attack and my people were forced to flee. I wasn't strong enough to stop the two of them from destroying the colony, so I retreated into space to gain a little time to develop a new plan to defeat them. I've been tracking them for nearly two years."

TJ could tell from the dark look on Andros's face that there was more to the story, but he wasn't going to pry any more than he already had. Ashley had told him and the others that there were six pipes in that storage room and that only four of them were housing a morpher. What had happened to the Silver Astro Morpher? Did Andros have another teammate? Maybe he was killed during the attack on KO-35.

"Well, I'd better let you get some rest." TJ said as he turned to leave. "Ashley called a little while ago to tell me that a new restaurant called the Surf Spot just opened up a few blocks down from the Youth Center where we usually hang out. She thinks we should go and check it out."

"Surf Spot…I guess we can go. We still have some time to kill while we wait on the shuttle to be repaired."

TJ nodded. "Right then. Goodnight Andros."

Andros nodded and watched TJ as he left and closed the door behind him. Andros once again found himself intrigued by the room he would be staying in for the next few days. There were objects similar to those he'd find on KO-35, but they all looked so different. The lamp on the bedside table had a glass base in the shape of a fancy flower vase and there was some weird hat-like structure hanging over it, preventing the light from showing its true potential. On KO-35, lamps were constructed out of metal and resembled small bowls that could light up an entire room. They were voice activated and you could even set their intensity and color with a few simple commands. Earth was decades behind in the technology realm in comparison to KO-35. If Andros's new rangers were able to see the technological wonders of his home world, they would be stunned.

Andros reached a hand out and cut off the lamp before lying back in the provided bed. He stared up at the ceiling, the occasional headlights from cars sliding across its surface as they passed by the house. Andros sighed and ran a hand through his loosened locks.

What had he gotten himself into? For two years, he traveled alone through the darkest corners of the galaxy tracking down leads on Dark Specter and Astronema. Yes, he progressed through things slower than when he had his teammates by his side, but he had to do what was necessary in order to succeed. He worked alone, that was how he liked it; but now, it seemed like everything had flipped. For better or worse, he wasn't sure.

TJ and the others were determined to find Zordon but they were all about teamwork and togetherness. In spite of how coldly he had treated them, they were still willing to help. Still willing to offer him friendship.

Andros's heart constricted painfully as the faces of his former teammates ghosted through his mind, their laughter echoing loudly as he squeezed his eyes shut. The laughter slowly died away and Andros's mind was filled with the sounds of their pain-filled screams while weapons clanged in the background, flames of wild fires blazing wildly with no one to extinguish them.

He could see their faces- bloody and bruised, their eyes wide and frosted over as death claimed their souls.

" _Andros, run!"_

" _Zhane…!"_

" _Adia please…you can't leave me…no…please no!"_

Andros gasped and sat up, the memories shutting of like a switch had been flipped. His shoulders heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. He looked around the room that was bathed in an early-morning glow. Andros sighed, realizing that the images had all been a dream of pain-filled memories. He wasn't too sure when he had fallen asleep, but it was long enough to remind him of how desperately he needed to destroy Dark Specter and Astronema.

* * *

TJ walked into the kitchen and inhaled deeply, the scent of freshly fried bacon, scrambled eggs, and pancakes filling his nostrils.

"That smells delicious mom." He commented as he moved towards the fridge to pour himself a glass of orange juice.

"Thanks baby." The older woman said as she moved to scrape the remaining eggs into a serving bowl she had set on the counter. "Where's your friend Andros? I'm sure he'd like something to eat."

"I was actually hoping that he would already be down here." TJ said as he set his glass on the counter. "I checked Calvin's room but he wasn't in there. Have you seen him?"

Mrs. Johnson shook her head before moving to set the serving bowls on the table. "Maybe he stepped outside? I did hear the door close a while ago. I just assumed it was your father."

TJ thanked his mother before heading for the front door. He looked around the porch for any signs of his new teammate, but saw none. Scratching the back of his head, he walked around the side of the house and spotted the Karovian watching two young children playing with a ball next door. TJ smiled, relieved to have found his friend, but he was immediately worried by the tense look on Andros's face. His jaw was hardened as though he were clenching his teeth, his fists balled up at his sides as he watched.

"Andros?" TJ called out, startling the Red Ranger.

Andros cleared his throat before turning around. TJ's concerned grew when he noticed how puffy and red Andros's eyes were. He had been crying. Not wanting to push the Red Ranger, TJ offered him a soft smile.

"My mom's just finished breakfast. Come and join us. We can meet up with the others at NASADA when we're through."

Andros nodded before heading back towards the front door. TJ watched him go before sparing a glance at the two children next door once more. The little boy and his sister were in the middle of a game of catch when suddenly, the boy lost control of the ball. TJ watched as the ball rolled from their yard into his, stopping right by his feet. He picked the ball up as the little boy ran towards him, his sister watching.

"Excuse me mister, can I have my ball?" the little boy asked.

TJ nodded before dropping the rubber ball into the boy's hands. "There you go. You two have fun."

The little boy thanked him before jogging back over to his sister. TJ smiled before looking back towards the house where Andros had disappeared to earlier. Something about those two children had stirred up something inside the Red Ranger, but what was it?

* * *

The Astro Rangers arrived at NASADA's base a little earlier than expected, but thankfully, General Norquist and his team had been working diligently to make as many repairs as possible to the shuttle. While the good general was busy explaining the repairs to the former Turbo Rangers, Andros was inspecting the spacecraft for himself. For the most part, the earthlings had managed to do a good job making the repairs, but they still paled in comparison to what he could've done had they ventured back to KO-35. He supposed he could let this fly until he and the others managed to venture back to the Karova System.

"Ah, Andros?" General Norquist spoke up, pulling the Red Astro Ranger's attention away from his inspection. "There were a few items that we could not provide you with, but we did our best to find substitutes. I only wish that we could do more for you."

Andros offered the man a soft smile. "It's alright. You and your men have done a great job at making repairs. I don't know how to repay you."

"Well, you can assure us that you will take care of whatever threat is looming over the earth."

Andros nodded before turning to his friends. "As far as I can tell, these repairs should suffice for the time being. Let's suit up and head back to the Megaship as soon as possible."

"Actually, we were hoping we could spend just one more day here on earth." Cassie said as she twisted her hair around her finger playfully. "We are going to be gone for a long time and there are a few…loose ends we need to tie up. You don't mind, do you?"

Andros looked over the faces of his new comrades and took note of the eager looks their faces held. As much as he wanted to get back to his primary mission, he couldn't say no. Earth was their home and if they felt as strongly about it as he did about his own home world, he couldn't blame them for wanting to stay.

"Fine, but just for one more day." He relented.

The others cheered excitedly before heading out of the room towards Carlos's jeep. Andros lingered behind for a moment staring at the NASADA shuttle and all the repairs that had been made. General Norquist watched the young man as he assessed his work.

"So, you really are from another planet?" he asked.

Andros looked over to him and offered him a simple nod. "Yes."

"Incredible. I never imagined in all my years studying the universe that human life actually existed out there. I mean, there are theories of what lies out in space, but they were just wild guesses, not realities. So the Karova System, how far is it from here?"

Andros placed his chin to his hand in thought as he made a few mental calculations of how long it would take him to get home using the Megaship in comparison to an earthly vessel.

"The Karova System is lightyears away from here. Using my Megaship, it would take approximately one month your time to reach my planet; but a spacecraft from earth travels much slower. It would take nearly fifty years for you and your people to travel there."

"My God." The man spoke, his eyes wide with wonder. "This Megaship, you say, is really that fast?"

Andros nodded. "KO-35 is a science-based world. We are years ahead of you in the realm of technology."

"Your people sound amazing. So, how is it that you know how to speak English? I'm sorry that I keep bombarding you with questions."

Andros managed to smile at the man's curiosity. "It's no big deal, I don't mind you asking. My people have databases that are linked to every known galaxy out there. It is how computer systems like D.E.C.A. are created. It is required for the Astro Rangers to learn other languages because of how often we venture to different galaxies. D.E.C.A. taught me most of the languages I know."

"Andros?" Ashley's voice came from the doorway, interrupting the conversation. Andros turned around and met Ashley's soft gaze as she leaned her head into the room. "We're all about to head to the Surf Spot that just opened up on the square. Are you coming?"

Andros spared a glance at General Norquist who smiled and nodded his head. "We can catch up later."

Andros gave him a soft smile before moving to join Ashley and the others.

* * *

"Whoa, check this place out." Cassie said in awe as she looked around the new restaurant.

Ashley nodded in agreement as she looked around at the interior décor. The walls were a creamy orange color with brown, wooden trim stretching all around the room. There were flip-flops nailed to the wall along with images of the relaxing seashore and other ocean-themed décor. There were even a few palm trees in potted plants located throughout the room. On the far wall was a condiments stand that looked like a sailboat along with two pool tables.

"This is cool." She said as the guys followed in behind her and Cassie.

"Man, I could really go for a burger right about now." Carlos said as the smell of freshly grilled burgers wafted through his news. "Let's eat."

TJ looked around the room and spotted a table on a stage floor right above where Bulk and Skull were sitting fooling around with a bottle of ketchup.

"Hey, there's a table over there." He said as he tapped Ashley on the shoulder. She and the others followed after him while Andros looked around at the strange setting.

Andros had changed his clothes after his teammates insisted that he do his best to "blend in" in Angel Grove. The clothes were a lot different than those he wore on KO-35 but surprisingly, they were quite comfortable. TJ had tons of red clothing to give away now that blue was his designated color, and he was more than happy to give some of his items away to his new friend. So Andros had slid on a long-sleeved, red shirt with black and white stripes around the V-neck and sleeves along with a pair of blue jeans, and tan boots.

The Karovian continued to study the somewhat chaotic setting around him. It was rather loud, almost like a shopping center on KO-35. There were teenagers that he assumed were around the same age as him and the others, playing on arcade machines and eating while a large African American woman walked around with a notepad and pen taking orders. Andros was particularly interested in a game a few boys were playing on a large wooden table with green fabric covering its surface. They had large, smooth sticks in their hands that they were using to knock a group of multicolored balls around on the table. The game looked pretty interesting, but deciding against joining them, Andros moved to join his friends at the table.

As soon as he sat down, the large woman approached the table with a pitcher of water and two baskets of fries. Carlos raised an eyebrow before looking up at the woman.

"I'm sorry, but we didn't order any fries." He said.

"You didn't have to." The woman said with a bright smile. "Trust me, my fries are to die for. They're on the house. My name is Adele, welcome to my lovely abode."

"This place looks amazing Adele." Ashley said cheerfully. "It seems business is booming. How long have you been open?"

"About a week." She said with a smile. "I thought you youngsters needed a new place to come and relax with good food and entertainment. I hope business stays this good in the upcoming months."

"Well if these French fries are going to stay on the menu, it's guaranteed." Carlos said giving her a thumbs up before shoving another handful of fries into his mouth.

Adele laughed. "I'll be bag shortly to take your orders."

Andros watched as his new friends picked up the laminated pieces of paper that were lying on the table. They eyed them curiously, their eyes scanning over the colorful pictures and descriptions. Andros picked his sheet up as well and scanned the words as he tried to process the meals offered on earth. Sure, he knew what the words were, D.E.C.A. had made sure of that, but he didn't have a clue about how the items tasted. By the looks of it, earthlings lived a much unhealthier lifestyle. Their food was greasy and some of it sweet- two qualities that food on KO-35 did not have.

"Hey Andros?" Ashley called out to him gently. "Do you need any help understanding the menu?"

Andros turned to Ashley and saw the genuine smile on her face. He shook his head.

"It's alright. I'm actually not very hungry."

She nodded understandingly before turning her attention back to her menu. Andros spied a rectangular object sitting on the island countertop across the room. He could see a fuzzy image on its screen that was soon replaced by a woman holding a microphone. The item was similar to a holographic screen that was used on KO-35 but it seemed rather outdated.

Carlos spotted the Karovian's diverted attention and looked over his shoulder to see what had caught his eye. He smiled before turning back to his friend.

"It's called a television." He explained as Andros turned to him. "It's one form of technology entertainment that we have here on earth. We can watch movies and sitcoms, oh and you can't forget about sports."

"Do you have anything similar on your planet?" Cassie wondered. TJ and Ashley were also interested in knowing more about their alien friend.

Andros nodded. "Sort of. We have holographic projectors that provide images that we can see. We have a few movies here and there, but most of the programs on KO-35 were news broadcasts. Well, they used to be."

The others could sense there was more to Andros's story, but said nothing. Andros's attention was suddenly pulled away from his friends as he spied something on the television screen. He didn't say a word as he stood from the table and headed over to the machine as he did his best to make sense of what he was seeing. TJ followed after him, an eyebrow raised. When he looked at the screen, there was an image of a large space ship with antennas on both the top and the bottom. Half of the ship was made of nothing but green webbings. Andros growled angrily as he viewed the image, but TJ was at a loss for words.

" _This is an image of the alien spacecraft that scientists managed to locate within earth's orbit early yesterday evening."_ The news reporter spoke as the image of the space ship skewed into a smaller image above her right shoulder. _"Is this the sign that science fictionists have been waiting for all these years? Are we in fact being watched by alien lifeforms and if so, how long will it be before they plan to make contact with us. Are they friend are foe?"_

"The Dark Fortress." Andros said slowly as his eyes studied the image for a little while longer.

"What did you say?" TJ asked, unsure of what Andros knew about the spacecraft.

Andros tapped the image onscreen before turning to TJ. "This image that your people have captured is of the Dark Fortress. It belongs to Dark Specter. Astronema must be onboard."

TJ's face suddenly grew serious as he cleared his throat. "The reporter said that the fortress is within earth's orbit. Astronema must have followed us back to earth after the attack yesterday."

"Let's move." Andros said quickly, but he was stopped as TJ reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Andros, the repairs aren't completely done to the shuttle. General Norquist is going to need a little time. We can't head off into space without a piece of the Astro Megazord. Besides, Astronema hasn't attacked yet. We need time to get our ducks in a row."

Andros swatted TJ's hand away and shot him a glare. "I know Astronema a lot better than you do. Believe me TJ, she isn't going to watch idly from the sidelines while we try and work out a plan. She's going to come at us with all she's got and she will stop at nothing to defeat us. Stay here if you want to regroup. I'm heading to the Megaship."

TJ watched as Andros ran past the others and out of the Surf Spot. Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley looked back towards him, confusion on their faces as they tried to understand what happened. TJ sighed before rejoining his friends. Andros's mind had been made up and there was no changing it.

"Let's eat." He suggested to the others before flagging down Adele.

* * *

Alpha was busy studying the controls on the bridge with D.E.C.A. when Andros entered the Megaship. Alpha looked up, surprised to be seeing the Red Ranger. Andros shrugged his jacket onto his shoulders and sighed with relief at being dressed in his familiar clothing. He then made his way over to the control panel on the opposite wall of the room.

"Andros, you're back." Alpha exclaimed as he waved his robotic arms about. "Where are the others?"

"Still on earth." Andros said as he scanned over the details he had pulled up on the screen. "Astronema's dark fortress was spotted by the people of earth. She followed us."

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! Why didn't you bring the others with you? They could be in serious trouble."

"Astronema hasn't launched an attack yet, but TJ thinks it's best to wait before making any moves. I'm not taking any chances. I'm going after Astronema."

 _Andros, I do not think it's best for you to venture to the Dark Fortress Alone._ D.E.C.A. spoke suddenly. Alpha nodded his head in agreement.

"Astronema isn't alone on that ship you know." Alpha said as he tried to reason with the Red Ranger. "You could really use the others' help."

Andros ignored his friends before moving to another panel. His fingers moved hurriedly across the touch-screen monitor as he looked up the exact coordinates of the Dark Fortress. His eyes narrowed as the computer began to beep, signaling that the location had been found. As Andros made a run for the jump tubes, Alpha followed after him, pleading for him to reconsider contacting the other rangers; but the Red Ranger's mind had already been made up. When Alpha finally caught up to Andros, he had jumped through the red tube to be transported to his Galaxy Glider.

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! This is terrible! D.E.C.A., please contact the other rangers."

"Right away Alpha." D.E.C.A. replied.

* * *

Carlos sighed in content as he leaned back in his chair, his hair cascading over the headrest as he looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm so stuffed. My stomach feels like it's going to explode."

"Mine too." Cassie agreed as she absent-mindedly rubbed a hand over her belly. "When was the last time we had a meal this good."

Ashley laughed as she wiped away the stray crumbs on her face. She set her napkin down before sparing a glance at the empty seat beside her.

"TJ, where did Andros go? I figured he would've come back by now."

TJ sighed as he suddenly remembered their Karovian friend. "A few scientists spotted Astronema's fortress floating within earth's orbit. Andros was determined to go after her but I thought it would be best if we waited for General Norquist to finish the repairs on the NASADA shuttle."

"Wait a minute, you let him go alone?" Ashley said in disbelief, her fingers curling around the table ledge. "How could you let him do something so reckless?"

"Ash, I tried to talk him out of it, but there's no changing his mind. He went to the Megaship to check things out, I wouldn't worry too much. We're a team, remember? We're all in this together."

"I'm not too convinced." Carlos admitted as he sat upright, earning surprised looks from his teammates. He looked over their shocked faces and sighed. "Look, you guys can't deny that Andros still isn't completely onboard with us helping him. The guy is too secretive and likes to keep to himself. He's not really a team player at all."

"You're right." Cassie agreed, a dejected look in her eyes. "Even though he agreed to let us help him, he still doesn't trust us. How are we supposed to work together to find Zordon if our leader prefers to work alone?"

The rangers' conversation was interrupted when their communicators went off. They looked around the room to make sure no one was watching before leaning close to TJ as he answered the call.

"Go ahead Alpha." He said.

 _Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! Rangers, Andros has taken off for the Dark Fortress alone to stop Astronema. You have to do something!_

"He went alone?" TJ asked, suddenly worried for their friend.

 _Yes, and you must hurry. Who knows what Astronema will do to him if she finds him on her fortress?_

"Don't worry Alpha, we're on our way." TJ said as he and the others stood from the table, quickly tossing down a few dollar bills before running out of the Surf Spot.

The rangers ran to Carlos's jeep and hopped in, strapping their seatbelts on just as Carlos peeled away from the curb. As they rounded a nearby corner, Ashely had to hold onto the side door to keep herself from falling over. She hoped the police weren't staking out the streets today. The last thing Carlos needed was a speeding ticket.

As they neared the NASADA building, they could see their shuttle prepared on the launching dock ready to take off. TJ was relieved to see that it was unharmed as Carlos sped through the front gates and slammed on the brakes, the car screeching to an abrupt stop just outside the main entrance. Just as the rangers prepared to make a run for it, several flashes of light appeared in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. Suddenly, a group of Quantrons materialized, their weapons aimed and ready to take down the rangers.

"Not now." Cassie groaned as she removed her leather jacket and tossed it carelessly to the side. If they were about to have a battle with these goons again, her arms needed all the mobility they could get.

The rangers raised their arms in defense and slowly stepped away from each other as they assessed the situation. There were ten Quantrons to defeat and based on the way things during their battle on Jupiter, this wasn't going to be an easy fight.

"Let's do it!" TJ commanded before running towards one of the foot soldiers. He leaped up into the air and sent a kick straight into the Quantron's chest. The soldier stumbled back into another soldier, the two of them falling to the ground. As TJ landed, the Quantrons were back on their feet again with their weapons ready. TJ jumped out of the way of the curved blades as the Quantrons tried to subdue him. He gasped as the one on his left just barely missed slicing through his torso, the blade tearing through his shirt. He dropped to the ground into a sweep kick, the Quantrons leaping over his extended leg, before lying on his back. He then used his hands to push himself up off the ground so both of his feet slammed into the chest of one of the Quantrons. He smirked when one of the two disappeared before moving on to the next one.

Ashley ran across the parking lot as two of the soldiers chased after her. She spied a set of concrete steps and ran up them quickly as they chased after her. She smiled when she spied a door to the building. As the soldiers chased after her, she pulled the door open and both of the Quantrons slammed face-first into it before tumbling down the stairs. She smirked before leaping over the railing and going into a forward roll to relieve the impact of the fall. Once back on her feet. She took off running to help assist her friends.

Carlos and Cassie worked together as six of the Quantrons attacked them. Cassie elbowed one of them in the chest before stomping down on the foot of another. Just as the third Quantron tried to take a swipe at her with his blade, she wrapped her arms around the neck of another and forced him in front of her so he could take the impact instead. The Quantron disappeared and she quickly moved to take on the remaining two. Carlos was faring well against his opponents as well using a bent metal rod that he had found lying on the ground. He successfully knocked the blades out of two of his attackers' hands and then swung the rod downward to knock the Quantrons off their feet.

"Carlos, behind you!" Ashley shouted as she ran towards him. Carlos turned around just in time to see another Quantron raising its blade up in the air, prepared to slice him in a downward motion, but Carlos used the rod to block off his blade, the two of them pushing against each other to prevent himself from getting hit. The Quantron continued to push against the rod and Carlos's eyes widened when he saw it starting to bend. Before it could snap, Ashley ran towards them and kicked the Quantron in its side.

The creatures made a strange noise before disappearing suddenly, leaving the Astro Rangers alone in the parking lot. TJ ran over to his friends and smiled in relief that none of them had been injured.

"That was way easier than the last time." Ashley said as she pumped her fist into the air victoriously.

"Definitely." Cassie agreed. "I'm never taking my morphing powers for granted ever again."

"Come on you guys, we have to go and help Andros." TJ reminded them. The others nodded before running inside of the building.

* * *

Andros leaned forward on the accelerators of his Galaxy Glider as he urged for it to go faster. Astronema was here, right within his reach. He had no time to wait for TJ and the others to make up their minds about what was most important. The only important thing was that the woman who was single-handedly responsible for slaying his teammates was alive and well. He made a mistake the last time. He was so caught up in his grief over losing his friends and failing as Red Ranger that he allowed Astronema to get the upper hand and leave. He would never be able to erase the image of the Dark Fortress leaving KO-35's orbit as he lay on the ground slowly bleeding out from his wounds.

Andros grit his teeth angrily as he pushed the memory to the back of his mind. He had no time to get caught up in painful memories. He had a mission to complete.

Just as he neared the ship's orbit, a laser blast flew right past him. Andros's eyes widened in shock as he looked up and spotted the Dark Fortress's cannons aimed directly at him. His position had been compromised.

The Dark Fortress began unleashing several blasts and Andros felt his hair standing on end as he did his best to dodge the blasts. At this rate, he was never going to make it onboard. The Galaxy Glider was great for traveling short distances through space, but it wasn't equipped with lasers strong enough to thwart of those from the Fortress.

"Back to the Megaship then." He said before doing a complete U-turn and heading back from whence he came. As he headed back towards the Megaship, he heard a strange sound. He spared a glance towards the Dark Fortress, his eyes widening as a shaft opened up at the bottom of the ship revealing an even larger cannon. It began emitting a cyan glow as it powered up and aimed towards the earth. Andros gasped when he suddenly realized the fortresses true target.

"The shuttle, oh no!"

* * *

TJ and the others ran through the security gates of NASADA determined to reach the shuttle as fast as possible. If Andros was going after the Dark Fortress, they knew he was going to need their help whether he wanted it or not.

General Norquist was waiting at the control panels when the teens ran through the doors. Thankfully, he was alone.

"Ah, I am glad that you have returned." He said with a smile.

"It's great to see you too, but we have a huge problem." Cassie admitted. "Please tell us that the repairs to the shuttle have been made."

General Norquist nodded before giving them a thumbs-up. "All systems are good to go. Although, they haven't been tested yet."

"Mind if we take it on a test run then?" Carlos asked hopefully. "We sort of need to get into space as quickly as possible."

Dr. Norquist noticed that they were short one teenager and raised an eyebrow. "Where's Andros."

"Andros is the reason we have to go." Ashley said. "He's going after Astronema on his own and we have to help him. Please let us use the shuttle."

"Go ahead, but please rangers, be careful."

TJ looked at his friends and nodded. "Let's Rock It!"

The General watched in amazement as the four teens quickly morphed into the blue, black, pink, and yellow Astro Rangers. He had yet to see these new costumes on the rangers and he had to admit, they were extraordinary. TJ motioned for his teammates to follow him before taking off down the long corridor that led to the shuttle. General Norquist then moved to prepare a launching sequence.

Just as the rangers entered the launching bay, a green light materialized in front of them. When it disappeared, a strange being was revealed. He appeared to be made out of sharp metal that was dark black with green webbings etched across it. His eyes were a bloody red and his head came up to a point. He held a sword that was made of the same material as his body and he had a red cape strapped onto his back. He could be a robot, he could be an alien. All the rangers knew is that he wasn't from earth and he was obviously an enemy.

TJ and the others came to an abrupt stop when the creature stretched his right arm forward, the tip of his sword aimed right at them. When a beam of green electricity shot out the tip, the rangers dove out of the way to avoid the blast.

"Who are you?" Carlos demanded to know as he rolled back into a standing position.

"Who I am is none of your concern. Just know that I am the one who will be responsible for your deaths. I will not let you onboard this shuttle."

"We're getting on that shuttle one way or another." TJ shouted. "I don't care who you are, we'll go through you if we have to."

"I'd like to see you try." He retorted.

"Satellite Stunner!" Cassie shouted as she summoned her new power weapon. She aimed the dish at the monster and began firing but much to her surprise, the pink beams were doing little, to no damage. She grit her teeth and fired another time but her attack still had no effect. Ashley summoned her Star Slinger and also began to fire upon the monster but the yellow beams from her weapon had the same results as Cassie's.

"It's not working!" Ashley said incredulously. The monster ran towards her and Cassie and swung his sword, striking both girls across the chest. They were knocked up into the air and fell down to the ground a few feet away.

"Ashley, Cassie!" TJ shouted as he spared a glance at his teammates. Carlos moved to check them over for any serious injuries while TJ summoned the Astro Axe and moved in for a direct assault. The monster used his sword to fend off the axe, sparks spraying off the blades as they connected. With an evil laugh, the monster brought down his sword on TJ's helmet. He let out a pain-filled cry as a power surge went through his suit before stumbling backwards.

"I wasn't too sure before, but now it's clear to me that you aren't Koyu."

"Koyu?" TJ repeated the name slowly. It was foreign to his tongue, very uncommon. Why had this monster thought him to be someone else?

"You guys aren't the Astro Rangers, just cheap knock-offs. Taking you out will be easy."

"What did you say?" Carlos asked, his voice booming with anger as he summoned the Lunar Lance.

"Such a stark contrast between you and Andante." The monster spoke, amusement in his voice. "He would never lose his cool like that. What, are you going to strike me in a blind rage?"

"Don't let him get to you Carlos." Ashley said as she grabbed his arm pleadingly. "He's just trying to get you worked up so you'll make a mistake."

Before the rangers could make a comeback, the monster raised his sword up into the air. The rangers watched in horror as a large ball of green electricity began to form above the monster's sword, zipping and cracking with electric sounds.

"Lookout!" TJ shouted as the monster threw the ball towards them. The rangers dove out of the way just in time and the attack slammed into the ground where they had been standing moments before. There was a huge explosion and the rangers shielded themselves from falling debris as NASADA sirens began blaring all around them.

The smoke slowly cleared away and Carlos slowly lifted his head and squinted through the clouds of smoke that were billowing throughout the room. He looked up and was shocked to see that part of the NASADA building had been destroyed by the impact of the attack. What if he and the others hadn't gotten out of the way in time? They would've been destroyed.

"Ecliptor!" a voice shouted from overhead suddenly.

The rangers looked up and gasped at the sight of Andros approaching on a levitating, red surf board of sorts. He leaped off of the machine before summoning his Spiral Saber and aiming it at the monster.

"Andros, you're alright." Ashley said, her voice flooded with relief.

"Sorry it took me so long to get back." He apologized before turning his attention back to the monster.

"I'd recognize that voice anywhere." The Monster spoke as his chest rumbled with laughter. "Hello Red Ranger."

"I won't let you destroy the NASADA shuttle Ecliptor." Andros growled.

"Ecliptor?" TJ said as he looked at the monster. "Who is he?"

Andros struggled to maintain his composure as he glared into the eyes of Astronema's right hand man. "He works for Astronema. He's very dangerous and if he's here, the shuttle is definitely in trouble."

"You'd better believe it." Ecliptor spoke. "I have to admit Andros, I am surprised to see you making a miserable attempt at leading a new group of rangers. Didn't you learn last time? You aren't cut out to be a leader."

TJ and the others turned to Andros and could see how tense the Red Ranger was as Ecliptor spoke. Ecliptor was someone from Andros's secretive past and he obviously knew him very well.

Ecliptor began walking towards Andros, his sword aimed at him as he laughed. "The Astro Rangers were rumored to be the best in the Karova System and the entire galaxy when Cain was Red Ranger; but the minute he and his team passed on his powers to you and your friends, you became a mockery of the legend they were. You tried your best, I'll credit you for that, but in the end, it just wasn't enough. It did Astronema and me a great pleasure of killing the rest of your Astro Rangers."

TJ and the others gasped at the revelation. Ever since Ashley had stumbled upon the morphers locked away on the Megaship, they had been curious about the previous wielders. Now, things were starting to make sense. Andros liked working alone and he hated accepting help from others. He had been so unforgivably cold to them when they first met, determined to remain a solo act rather than becoming a team. Now they understood. Andros's teammates had died under his leadership. The guilt forced him to push away others.

"Andros, is that true?" Ashley asked him softly as she rested a hand on his shoulders. She could feel him tense up at her touch and she bit her bottom lip, hoping that he wouldn't shut her out once more.

"You're going to pay Ecliptor." Andros said with a feral growl, his nostrils flaring. "You and Astronema are going to pay for it all!"

Ignoring his friends, Andros ran towards Ecliptor with his Spiral Saber in-hand. This monster, this abomination was mostly to blame for the fate his team had suffered. Their blood rested on both his and Astronema's hands and Andros would see to it that he paid for his treachery.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Review!**


	5. A Haunting Past

**A/N:** **Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing. You have no idea how much it excites me when you all are curious to find out what's going to happen next. Well, it's been a whole week since the last update, so I think it's about time you guys find out**

* * *

 **Astro Rangers:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

" **Original" Astro Rangers:**

 **Cain…Tyler Blackburn**

 **Damian…Blair Redford**

 **Kadence….Alexa Vega**

 **Silas…..Nathan Owens**

 **Harper….Ashley Benson**

 **Anon….Taylor Lautner**

 **ANDROS'S NARRATION OF HIS PAST IS IN ITALLICS!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **A Haunting Past"**_

The Astro Rangers stood back as Ecliptor's maniac laughter echoed throughout the facility. Andros growled angrily, his nostrils flaring as memories of Ecliptor and Astronema destroying his home flashed through his mind. He remembered the terrified faces of his people as they ran from the blasts of electricity and explosions, the thick and nostril-burning smell of smoke wafting through the air. He could hear their horrific screams echoing off the walls of demolished buildings that were crumbling to the ground while Astronema and Ecliptor's laughter echoed right alongside it.

A feral growl tore its way through Andros's throat as his fingers curled tightly around the hilt of his Spiral Saber, his shoulders heaving.

"You're going to pay Ecliptor. You and Astronema are going to pay for it all!"

Ashley reached out a hand to stop Andros, but it was too late. The Red Ranger was already running towards Ecliptor with his weapon raised high in the air, a battle cry passing through his lips. Ecliptor watched in amusement as the Red Ranger approached him before slowly extending his blade and raising his arm, the metal tip of the sword aimed directly at his opponent.

As Andros neared, Ecliptor surprised him by dropping his arm and shooting two laser beams out of his eyes. The beams combined into a long, orange, flame-engulfed whip that quickly wrapped itself around the Red Ranger. The other rangers watched in horror as Andros was swung around in the air helplessly before being slammed down against the ground repeatedly like a limp ragdoll. Ecliptor then lifted him up another time and slammed him down again.

Andros groaned as the whip slowly dissolved and he struggled to sit up. His body was aching all over and he could feel minor burns forming beneath the protective layer of his suit. Ecliptor laughed again and approached the battered ranger, his feet stomping against the ground. He stopped right beside Andros and stared down at him before kicking the teen in the side so he could roll onto his back. Andros stared up at Ecliptor and hissed in pain as the dark general stepped on his chest with his right foot, pinning him to the ground.

"What, giving up so soon?" Ecliptor asked as he smirked down at the Red Ranger. "I must say Andros, you've gotten a little rusty over the years. You're definitely making this mission all the more easier for me. Once I'm finished destroying that shuttle, I'll kindly defeat you and your pathetic knock-off Astro Rangers."

Andros wrapped his arms around Ecliptor's leg as he struggled to remove the appendage from his chest, but Ecliptor wouldn't budge. Ecliptor held onto his sword tightly and aimed the tip of the blade over Andros's heart.

"Join your friends in the afterlife." He said menacingly.

"No!" Ashley shouted as she and the others ran towards them with their Astro Blasters. Ashley pulled the trigger and fired upon Ecliptor three times. The impact of the blasts was enough to make him stumble back and away from Andros. While TJ and Carlos ran after him, Ashley and Cassie crouched down and slung Andros's arms over their shoulders.

"Andros, are you okay?" Ashley asked worriedly.

"Yeah, what were you thinking charging at him head on like that?" Cassie scolded as they helped him onto his feet.

Andros didn't answer as he glared at Ecliptor engaged in battle with Carlos and TJ. The Blue and Black Rangers had traded out their Astro Blasters for their Power Weapons and were swinging simultaneously with the hope of taking him down.

"We have to stop him." Andros said through gritted teeth. "If Ecliptor fails to destroy the shuttle, Astronema will use the Dark Fortresses lasers to take it out."

"What?" Cassie asked incredulously.

"I saw her preparing the cannons when I was pursuing her earlier." Andros confessed. "The fortress used the same lasers to take out the capital building on KO-35. Trust me, if she fires her lasers, we can kiss the Astro Megazord goodbye."

The rangers turned their attention back to the battle just in time to see TJ and Carlos being knocked to the ground. Ecliptor then raised his blade in the air as he formed another energy orb. Carlos and TJ shouted for him to stop but Ecliptor surprised them both by throwing the attack at them instead. The force of the blast was so strong that Carlos and TJ were thrown up into the air before landing and skidding across the ground towards their friends.

"Let's move." Andros commanded as he suddenly found strength in his legs once more. He took hold of his Spiral Saber again while Ashley and Cassie summoned their weapons. The three of them then charged towards the general, prepared to stop his assault.

Ecliptor laughed hoarsely and charged his sword to create another orb. Cassie aimed her Satellite Stunner at Ecliptor's back and open fired; but to her surprise, the energy waves seemed to have little to no effect on him. She growled angrily and fired at him again, but once again, the attack failed.

Ashley aimed her Star Slinger towards Ecliptor and began to open fire, but her blasts seemed to have no effect either. Finally fed up with the rangers' failed attempts at stopping him, Ecliptor turned around quickly and threw the energy orb at Cassie and Ashley. Andros shouted for them to dive out of the way and they quickly moved out of the attack's way. A loud explosion rocked the corridor and the girls were horrified at the sight of the east wall completely destroyed, the sounds of police sirens blaring on the outside of the building now reaching their ears.

"He's strong." Cassie said as she stood up and helped Ashley to her feet. "Our blasters aren't even phasing him."

Andros joined the girls at their side along with Carlos and TJ, who had recovered from Ecliptor's last attack. Andros watched as Ecliptor took off running towards the shuttle. The others took off after him, but Andros called out for them to stop. They froze their pursuit and turned towards their leader questioningly.

"I have an idea." He said.

"Well, what is it?" TJ asked in desperation. "We're kind of running out of options here."

"The Quadro Blaster." Andros spoke quickly. "It's a powerful cannon created from the Astro Power Weapons that can form a large blast like Ecliptor's. It may not be as strong as his attack, but if you combine it with the blast from my Spiral Saber's booster mode, we could create a blast strong enough to stop Ecliptor."

TJ and the other rangers exchanged glances as they silently came to terms with Andros's decision. They then nodded before moving into position. Andros removed his Astro Blaster from its holster and unlatched the top before connecting it to his Spiral Saber. The other rangers watched in amazement as the blade of the Spiral Saber morphed into an enhanced version of the saber with two firing mechanisms connected to the spiraled blade, their tips charged with red energy.

Carlos and the others held onto their weapons as instructions appeared in their visors instructing them on where to stand, how to prepare the cannon, and how to operate the device. It only took them a few seconds to assemble the blaster and stand behind Carlos, who was responsible for firing the device. Carlos's fingers wrapped around the Astro Axe's blade, which had become the trigger and waited for Andros to give the command.

Andros spared a glance at his teammates and gave them a curt nod before turning his attention back towards Ecliptor who was in the process of summoning another energy blast.

"Those cheap toys won't be able to stop me." Ecliptor declared.

"We'll see about that Ecliptor." Andros shouted. "Are you guys ready?"

"Ready." The others responded as they narrowed their eyes in concentration.

Ecliptor began swinging his sword in a circle above his head and the energy orb began spinning at an alarming speed. The orb began to spark as its speed increased and the rangers knew that this would be a damaging blow if it were to be released. Andros shouted for his teammates to fire and Carlos wasted no time pulling the trigger. A large orb of spiraling green energy propelled itself through the mouth of the blaster and hurtled through the air at an alarming speed before slamming into Ecliptor. Andros then fired off a blast from his Spiral Saber that flew through the air and collided with the orb Ecliptor had already created. The impact of all three orbs was so strong, that all of the rangers were knocked back by an invisible force of energy. The room was then filled by a bright light and the sounds of an enormous explosion. Andros could hear the faint sound of Ecliptor screaming over the deafening explosion and took a deep breath.

Slowly, the blast died down and the rangers looked up at the destruction caused by their battle. The launching bay was standing on its last leg, most of the room having been destroyed; but to everyone's relief, the NASADA shuttle was still standing tall, soot sticking to its white and blue surface.

"Where's Ecliptor?" Ashley spoke once she was able to find her voice again.

The rangers looked around the opened area and couldn't spot one trace of the black and green general.

"Maybe we destroyed him?" Carlos said with a shrug of his shoulders. "That was a huge blast."

"Something tells me that he's still alive." TJ said as he shook his head. "He was pretty tough to beat. I have this gut feeling that we'll be seeing him real soon."

"Let's move." Andros said as he pushed all thoughts of Ecliptor to the back of his mind. "We have to get the shuttle out of here now. If Ecliptor escaped, Astronema will know in a matter of seconds. She will waste no time using the Dark Fortress to destroy the shuttle."

The rangers nodded in agreement as Andros took off in a sprint towards the shuttle. They followed suit and chased after him as a dark shadow suddenly cast itself over the shuttle. The rangers looked up towards the sky peeking through the destroyed roof of the holding area and were horrified at the sight of a large, green beam of energy descending from the sky. The beam slammed into the ground a few feet behind them, a wave of heat washing over the rangers as a loud explosion reached their ears.

"What the hell is that?" Carlos shouted as another explosion erupted behind them.

"The Dark Fortress." Andros explained as they reached the shuttle door. "Hurry, we don't have much time."

Andros ran through the shuttle doors and jumped into the pilot seat before strapping himself in quickly. TJ ensured that the door was shut and locked before moving to find a seat beside his friends. They then worked hurriedly at the controls to set up a proper launching sequence.

"Five seconds until launch." Andros announced as he leaned back in his seats and wrapped his fingers tightly around the restraints.

The shuttle shook violently as the sound of another explosion penetrated through the shuttle's metal walls.

"We're not in the clear yet." Carlos spoke, his voice shaking with worry.

"Launching sequence beginning now." Andros spoke as he maintained his cool.

The shuttle began to rumble, the rangers' seats vibrating as they leaned back. The shuttle slowly began to lift off the launch pad and up into the air, the rangers vibrating along with the vessel as the shuttle's engines worked hard to push the shuttle against the earth's gravitational pull.

"Come on, faster." Ashley begged as she squeezed her eyes shut.

The lights in the shuttle suddenly blacked out and Ashley bit her tongue to resist the urge to scream. The emergency lights kicked on seconds later, illuminating the cabin in a dim, red glow. The rangers remained silent as their bodies were forcibly knocked about as the shuttle continued its ascent into space. A few seconds later, the propulsion finally lessened and the shuttle shook at its rear, its boosters having fallen off. The rangers sighed in relief as the lights flicker back on. They could clearly see the blackened void and stars of outer space through the shuttle window. They had made it.

"That was close." Cassie said, her voice shaking as she placed a hand over her heart.

"Yeah, I didn't think we were going to make it." Carlos agreed.

Andros leaned forward and took hold of the shuttle's controls as he began to level the ship out. He then activated the engines and steered the shuttle towards the nose of the Astro Megaship. The Megaship parted its gates and the rangers connected smoothly as the Megaship closed over the shuttle.

"How long do you think we have before Astronema comes after us?" TJ asked as they all undid their seatbelts and departed from the shuttle.

"It won't be too long." Carlos said as they followed Andros off the shuttle and into the Megaship's main hall.

Andros was silent as they made their way towards the bridge, and the others were confused by his silence. Was he not concerned like the rest of them? They had barely escaped their deaths and the shuttle was almost destroyed. He should be worried too.

Andros walked onto the bridge and headed for the Megaship's mainframe before opening several different programs. The others hung back idly and watched as the Red Ranger worked.

"D.E.C.A., can you get a lock on the Dark Fortress?" Andros questioned the A.I. as he continued his scan.

 **My sensors indicate that the Dark Fortress has departed from the Milky Way Galaxy. Shall I track its current course?**

Andros stopped his search and sighed. "No, that's alright."

The others were stunned by Andros's decision. Clearly, he wasn't thinking straight. Astronema had left earth's orbit as soon as they left earth's atmosphere, which meant she was still close enough for them to track her down, yet their leader was willing to let her escape?

"Power Down." Andros said as he powered down his suit. He quickly reached a hand up and removed the ponytail holder from his hair, allowing his blonde and brown streaked tresses to tumble over his shoulders as he ran a free hand through the locks.

Andros walked off the bridge and down the hall, confusing his teammates even more. After powering down themselves, they followed after their leader. Andros was just pulling a plate out of the Synthetron when the rangers caught up to him. He said nothing and paid them no mind as he moved to take a seat at the table to eat the purple and pink blob of mush on his plate. The others exchanged a worried glance before moving to join Andros at the table.

Andros ate in silence, and no one bothered to speak. The tension surrounding them was so thick that the rangers could barely breathe. Out of all the things Andros had done since they met him, this was by far the most puzzling.

Carlos cleared his throat before folding his hands and resting them on the tabletop. "Let me get this straight…we aren't going to chase after Astronema?"

Andros scraped the remnants of his meal onto his spoon and quickly devoured it before dropping it on the plate with a loud clatter. He then wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his jacket before looking up to meet Carlos's confused gaze.

"No." he said, his voice heavy.

"Why not?" Carlos asked. "We have the upper hand Andros. The shuttle is safe and we can still complete the Astro Megazord. Why stop when we're ahead?"

"We aren't ahead of anything." Andros said, his tone harsh. "You should learn to look twice at a situation before making any quick judgments. Astronema's mission was to destroy the NASADA shuttle, but both she and Ecliptor failed."

"Wait a minute, you don't think we destroyed Ecliptor?" Cassie asked.

"No, I don't. We probably inflicted slight damage to Ecliptor. He's strong, don't underestimate him."

"Man, I can't figure you out." Carlos said as he slammed his fist down on the tabletop. "We have the upper hand here. We need to go after him. Tell him TJ."

TJ opened his mouth to speak, but he was silenced by Andros when he stood from the table abruptly, his chair falling over and slamming against the ground.

"So, you just want to charge after an enemy you know nothing about to chase them into a galaxy that you've never even been to before?" Andros asked, his eyes narrowed. "I know Astronema a hell of a lot better than you do, and going after her is exactly what she wants us to do. She's more than likely heading towards a galaxy where she and the dark forces have serious connections and if we were to even entertain the idea of going after her, we'd be ambushed and killed."

"So we're supposed to trust your judgments and sit around here doing nothing?" Carlos shouted in disbelief. "What kind of plan is that? Astronema works for Dark Specter and they have kidnapped Zordon, our mentor and our friend. We can't just let them drain his powers. We have to stop them."

Ashley spared a worried glance towards Andros. His jaw and fists were clenched tight as though he were restraining himself.

"I know what I'm doing." Andros defended himself.

"Oh, do you now?" Carlos snapped. "Then feel free to clue us in for a change Andros. You agreed to let us help you which made us members of your team. Teammates work together to accomplish a common goal Andros, yet you haven't done anything to show that you're onboard with this mission. We took the shuttle to earth to be repaired because it was the only option we had at the time and you doubt our scientists' and inventors ability to fix it. TJ tells you we need to wait before chasing after the Dark Fortress, and you go it alone without even telling us what you planned on doing. Ecliptor makes a few snide remarks and instead of thinking out a strategy to defeat him, you charge at him blindly and nearly get yourself killed. Now, you expect me to stand by idly and support your decision to not go after that purple-haired witch because _you_ say it's the right thing to do? What kind of leader are you Andros?"

"Carlos, that's enough." Cassie said as she stood up quickly.

"You're seriously trying to defend this guy?" Carlos asked. "I tried giving him the benefit of the doubt Cass, but I can't trust him as far as I can throw him. We teamed up with him because we all have the same mission. Well, I'm not so sure about that anymore. We'd be better off finding Zordon on our own."

"Carlos man, calm down." TJ said as he and Ashley stood to their feet. The former Red Ranger rested a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

The rangers were silent for a moment, none of them sure of how to diffuse the situation. Carlos's words may have been harsh, but they weren't exactly lies. Andros had been holding so much back since they first met him; and just when they thought they were making progress as a team, he threw up another wall in front of them.

Andros sighed before turning his back to the earthlings and staring down at the floor. "You're right. I'm not cut out to be a leader."

"Andros, don't say that." Ashley said as she walked around so she was standing in front of him. "Carlos is a little upset, that's all. I'll admit, we're all a little confused by your decisions as of late, but you aren't a horrible leader."

Andros looked up at her and Ashley felt a pang of guilt hit her heart at the sight of tears brimming in the Karovian's eyes. Her mouth moved quickly as it tried to form words, but none could come to mind. Andros turned around to face the others, his tears spilling over. Carlos immediately felt bad for snapping at the Red Ranger and bit his bottom lip.

"You're right Carlos." He said, his voice remaining calm in spite of his unnerved appearance. "I am not a decent leader. Why do you think I've worked alone for all these years? Everyone who gets involved with me ends up getting hurt or killed."

"So, what Ecliptor said about your former teammates was true." Cassie realized. "They really are…dead…?"

Andros's chest tightened painfully as the question passed through the Pink Ranger's lips. The last thing he had ever wanted to happen was for his new rangers to find out about his dark, tainted past that he had yet to recover from. He couldn't blame any of them for being angry with him because of his actions. His own selfish insecurities were tearing him apart from the inside out and it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to the pain and was destroyed.

Andros let out a shuddering sigh before raising his arm to show off his morpher to the others.

"It's a reality that you guys need to face. When you took these morphers from me back on Jupiter, you were taking a chance, a leap of faith. Just because we're Power Rangers, that doesn't make us immortal. We are human beings composed of flesh and blood. We have the ability to live, yet we have an even stronger ability to die. My friends…they took the same chance that you all are taking now and they…"

Andros squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to block the sound of his friends' screams from filling his mind, but it was no use. He could hear their cries, their pleas for someone to help him. He could see his best friend Zhane being pinned down by a group of foot soldiers as Ecliptor unleashed an attack that was originally meant to kill the Red Ranger. He could see Cain and the rest of his predecessors fighting without their powers to try and help the Karovian people. He could see Andante crying over Malina's broken corpse and Koyu trying to defend his fallen friends before the blade of a Quantron was shoved forcibly through his torso and out the other side. More distinctively, he could remember the feeling of Adia's blood-stained lips against his own as he cradled her head in his hand gently as he pleaded for her to keep fighting.

The Red Ranger was forcibly pulled from his thoughts when Ashley rested her hand against his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder and could see the pained look in her eyes.

"Andros, what happened?" she asked sadly.

Andros turned from Ashley and looked at the sullen faces of his other teammates. He sighed and wiped away the tears staining his cheeks before lifting his chair upright and taking a seat once more. Ashley pulled up a chair beside him and rested her hand on his before giving him an encouraging nod.

"Take your time." She said with a soft smile.

Andros nodded his head and took a deep breath.

"I guess I should start by telling you a little bit about my planet…"

* * *

 _KO-35 is a space colony located in the Karova System. It's lightyears away from the earth. We are one of many space colonies in the universe where human life exists. My people are a very peaceful race who excels in the art and craft of technology and many other areas of life like farming. There is no animal life on KO-35 because we do not have natural water resources, which makes it nearly impossible for animals to thrive. All water that we have on KO-35 is collected from nearby planets and stored for our personal use. Because we do not have animals that roam throughout our planet, the Karovian people are vegetarians of sorts._

 _The colony is split into five central cores. The southern colony is where the farmlands are located. The eastern colony is where the science and medical facilities are located. The western colony is strictly a business industry where all commerce centers are located. The northern colony is for the wealthier Karovians. Then, you have the central colony which is known as the capital. The capital building is located there and that is where the Grand Elder lives. The Grand Elder is the leader of KO-35 and he makes the rules and legislation that our people live by. He governs us all and looks at his people as though we are his children. The Command Center for the Astro Rangers is located beneath the capital building. We refer to it as HQ. Only members of the Astro Academy are permitted to enter HQ._

 _You may be wondering how the Astro Ranger Powers came to exist. Well, the Astro Ranger powers have existed on KO-35 for hundreds of years. Zordon of Eltar was friends with the third Grand Elder of our planet; and when evil forces began to target our people and our prosperous way of life, Zordon bestowed the powers upon the planet to battle the forces of evil and to keep our planet safe. Six heroes were chosen to wield the powers and working together, they were able to fend off our attackers._

 _In order to become and Astro Ranger, you must be chosen and you are to serve your term as a ranger for five years before passing on your powers to the next candidate. Schooling on KO-35 is completed rather quickly and at the age of sixteen, Karovian teenagers take an aptitude test of sorts to figure out what career is the best suited for them. Those who possess enough traits to be an Astro Ranger have the opportunity to enroll or decline enrollment into the Astro Academy. If they choose to train, they undergo training for six months and are then chosen by the previous six rangers to take their place. Hundreds of Karovians enter the academy, but in the end, only six possess the right qualities._

 _I always wanted to be the Red Ranger, ever since I was a little boy. I had…a traumatizing experience as a child and I felt that being a Power Ranger would help me to find my way in life. Cain…he was an amazing Red Ranger. During his time as Red Ranger, he and his team saved KO-35 from meeting their demise at the hand of Dark Specter's father. They destroyed him and his army and were seen as the greatest rangers of all time. I wanted to be just like him; so when he chose me out hundreds of other trainees to take his place as leader, I was shocked. I paled in comparison to him and I knew I didn't have what it took to be a great leader…but he told me that those who show the most improvement are the ones who make the greatest leaders._

 _So I took the morpher from him and I learned all the values of the trade. He taught me his best moves. He taught me how to be a leader. He taught me the necessary survival skills I needed to become a major success. Most importantly, he showed me the value of friendship and he became one of the closest friends I had ever had._

 _My team and I were a bunch of rookies, but we came out on top in the end and became well-respected in the colony just as Cain and his team had._

 _Koyu was the Blue Ranger and my rival at the academy. Throughout our training days, he was always determined to be better than me. He beat us in our hand-to-hand combat matches and he scored higher than I did on several exams. I expected for him to be chosen as Red Ranger, but when I was given the job, I was stunned, but not nearly as much as he was. Koyu resented the fact that he wasn't given the positon as Red Ranger, but he was even more pissed off to learn that it was because his attitude and arrogance made him an unfit leader. We butted heads several times during our time as rangers and there was a point where he threatened to leave the team; but in the end, he learned to respect me and we became the closest of friends._

 _Malina, my Pink Ranger was the Grand Elder's granddaughter, but she was so smart. Her aptitude test showed that she had a promising career and future in the eastern colony as a scientist or a doctor, but she wanted to be a Power Ranger more than anything. She had the brains to be a ranger, but she was lacking the physical strength; but after she finished training with the former Pink Ranger Kadence, she ended up passing her examination and was given the position without any second thoughts. She was very beautiful, smart, and funny…_

 _Andante was a major heartthrob at the academy according to all the girls. Everyone wanted to date him, but he was only interested in Malina. He really loved her. Andante was a focused guy who took everything seriously. He never lost his cool and he was a very skilled fighter. He came from the northern colony and his dad was Red Ranger several years back. I was proud to have him as my teammate._

 _Then…there was Adia. She came from the southern colony, so her family didn't have too much money. They owned a small farm and she and her siblings were expected to follow in the family's footsteps; but when she took her aptitude test and learned that she had a shot at being a ranger, she went against her parents' wishes and enrolled in the academy. She and I became fast friends and I was closer to her than I was with the others. She was so kind-hearted, giving, and gentle. She wanted nothing more than to help people. She was…so special to me._

 _When Astronema and Ecliptor attacked KO-35 on Dark Specter's orders, we were completely blindsided. Cain and Harper, the former Yellow Ranger had just had their son Orion and we were all celebrating. That's when the explosions started. The Dark Fortress's cannons had begun firing upon the planet and the western colony had been destroyed entirely. The other rangers and I set off on our Galaxy Gliders and we could see the destruction stretching on for miles. There were fires ablaze everywhere and people were screaming as they tried to flee. The Grand Elder sent out a live broadcast asking everyone to evacuate from the planet before he was killed by Astronema._

 _Cain and the former Silver Ranger Damian got Harper and Kadence off the planet before helping Anon and Silas, the former Black and Blue Rangers. Even though they didn't have their powers anymore, they were willing to fight for the colony, no matter the risks. We fought alongside them, fighting off Quantrons left and right; but eventually, we began to tire and we started making mistakes…Astronema and Ecliptor were ruthless and showed us now mercy; and I was forced to watch as each and every person that I cared about was killed before my very eyes…_

* * *

Ashley had tears in her eyes as Andros stopped his horrifying tale and took a deep breath. She spared a glance towards the others and they had similar looks on their faces. KO-35 seemed like such a peaceful planet and Andros seemed to care deeply about each and every one of his teammates. They had all come from different parts of the colony, yet they managed to bond with one another during their days at the academy and during their time as rangers. They had become family to one another and seeing them killed right before his very eyes had obviously traumatized Andros beyond belief.

"So…they're really gone?" Cassie asked to make sure once and for all that there was no chance of any of them surviving.

Andros nodded once, a lost look in his eyes. "Ecliptor struck Malina down with his sword and she bled out. Andante went into hysterics. He was so broken when he saw her die that he willingly allowed Ecliptor to take his life too. Silas was no longer a ranger, but he fought like hell to protect the two of them and he died in the process. When Astronema caused another explosion, I got separated from Cain and Damian…but not before I saw Anon's corpse lying on the ground. Adia and I did our best to defeat Astronema, but she was ruthless and she…"

Andros felt his breath catch in his throat as Malina's screams floated through his mind. Ashley's grip on his hands tightened as she encouraged him to let it all out.

"Adia died too." He said in an audible whisper. "I was the only one left. I was supposed to be the leader of the Astro Rangers and my entire team _died_. I was supposed to protect them, but I wasn't strong enough."

"Andros, you can't possibly blame yourself for what happened." TJ said trying to reason with him. "Astronema and the others ambushed you guys. You had no idea what was in store for you."

"I should've fought harder!" Andros shouted as tears began falling down his face once more. "My friends died for their planet. Adia…she died for me. She died wanting to save me because in her eyes, I was the one who needed to live. Astronema beat me to a pulp and left me on the brink of death before leaving with Ecliptor. I laid on the ground for hours in agonizing pain as I slowly bled to death. In all honesty, I wanted to die and I should have died. My friends had all perished and I was the lone survivor. My team was given the task of protecting the planet and we failed miserably. We were a mockery of the legend Cain and his team left behind."

"So what did you do?" Carlos asked quietly.

Andros looked towards the Black Ranger and took a deep breath. "There were a few survivors after the attack who found my body amongst the rubble. They were going to bury me and the rest of my friends, but they noticed that I was alive. They took me to the eastern colony and slowly nursed me back to health. I was in the medical facility for almost a month until my injuries were healed. I was angry that they had saved me. I was angry that I had failed my friends. I didn't deserve to be a Power Ranger after everything that had happened; but then, I thought about Astronema and the menacing look in her eyes as she left me to die, and I suddenly found a new purpose in my life. I had to destroy her and avenge my friends. So I boarded the Megaship and took off on a solo mission. My five years as a ranger aren't up and will not stop until I have severed her head from her shoulders."

Andros's nostrils were flaring as he finished his monologue. He then turned to Carlos, a glare in his eyes.

"So yes Carlos, I am aware of the fact that I don't have what it takes to be a proper leader, but I'm the best option that you've got. I don't want you to pity me. I don't expect you to like all the decisions that I make, but I do expect you to trust me when I say that I want to see Astronema destroyed just as badly as you do."

Andros stood to his feet abruptly, the legs of his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "We are going to stop Astronema, I can promise you that; but I need you all to listen to me when I say that this mission will be harder than any mission you have ever embarked on before. Your mission as planetary rangers pale in comparison to the work of a galactic space ranger. I'm sorry if you can't accept me for who I am and I'm sorry that I have given you reason to doubt me…but I refuse to allow another teammate to fall at the hands of Astronema and her evil alliance again. We will stop her, on my terms. Is that clear?"

Carlos gave no verbal agreement, but nodded his head. He had crossed a line by yelling at the Red Ranger and he knew it. No words would be able to make up for the tears the troubled teen had just shared with them all.

"So…what happened to Cain and Damian?" Ashley spoke up suddenly, changing the subject.

Andros sighed and turned to the curious Yellow Ranger. "I don't know. When I woke up after Astronema attacked me, I had already been brought to the medical bay. My caretakers told me that they had buried my friends and retrieved the morphers from their bodies. They didn't mention anything about the former Red and Silver Ranger."

The rangers were silent once more as the air vents hummed loudly in the background. Andros tapped his fingers against the tabletop before heading out the room. He paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulders.

"You all can return to earth if you want." He said. "I'm staying on the Megaship tonight and I'll be departing tomorrow at one in the afternoon your time. If you want to continue on this mission with me, I will see you then. If not, I'm glad that I got to work with you."

Andros walked away without muttering another word, leaving his friends alone in the deafening silence.

"I can't believe that his friends were killed." TJ said.

"Yeah, but there's still something off about his story." Ashley said as she placed her hand to her chin in thought.

"What is it?" Cassie asked as she and the others turned their attention to the Yellow Ranger.

"Andros said that Zordon gave the Grand Elder _six_ morphers when he originally created the Astro Rangers' powers. Andros also mentioned that there were six predecessors before him and his friends- Cain, Damian, Kadence, Anon, Harper, and Silas. However, he only mentioned five members of his team which makes me wonder…what happened to the Silver Ranger of his team?"

"You're right." Carlos said, his eyes widening. "Then there's the pipes that you saw when we first arrived on the Megaship. You said there were six pipes, but only four morphers. You said the red and silver pipes were missing their morphers."

"Do you think Andros's teammate died with the others?" Cassie asked.

"But why didn't he mention him during his story?" TJ pointed out.

The rangers stopped their story when the sound of distant beeping reached their ears. They could hear Andros and D.E.C.A. conducting a search on the bridge.

"So, what should we do?" Cassie asked her friends. "Astronema and Ecliptor sound ruthless. They make Divatox seem like a cuddly pink bunny."

"I want to help him." TJ said confidently. "The guy has been through more than anyone his age should have to go through. He may struggle when it comes to teamwork, but he did make a valid point during his story."

"Really?" Cassie asked.

TJ nodded. "Cain chose Andros to be the Red Ranger and take his place because he felt that Andros needed the most improvement. He told Andros that those who make the most improvement are the ones who become the strongest leaders. I feel that we can help Andros you guys. We just have to have a little faith in him."

"Yeah." Ashley agreed with a soft smile. "He really needs our help and we need his if we're ever going to find Zordon. I say we go home to earth, get all our ducks in a row, and then we can come back tomorrow."

"Let's do it then." Carlos said before running over to the jump tubes. The other rangers stood from their seats and ran over to join him before jumping in and being shot back down to earth.

* * *

 **My sensors have indicated no signs of abnormal energies in the eighteenth quadrant of the galaxy.**

"Thank you D.E.C.A. That's enough searching for one evening."

Andros powered down the Megaship's monitors and sighed before walking over to the front window. The Megaship had a perfect view of earth and the Red Ranger was taking it all in. The planet was much larger than his own and it was mesmerizing seeing the blue hue of its surface that reminded him that water stretched on for miles on the blue and green planet.

"Andros, it's getting late." Alpha said as he walked over to the Red Ranger, his robotic arms waving about. "Maybe you should get some sleep."

"I think you're right Alpha." Andros agreed with a soft smile as he rested a hand on the little robot's shoulder. "I'll see you in the morning."

Alpha waved as Andros headed off the bridge and down the hall. Just before he reached the living quarters, Andros ducked into the engine room. After ensuring that he wasn't being followed, Andros walked behind the cylindrical engine and popped open a keypad on the wall. He input a code and the wall slid open, revealing a sliding door and a secret room. Andros shivered as he stepped inside the hidden room, the temperature being several degrees lower than the rest of the ship. He wrapped his arms around himself to stay warm as he approached a small coffin-like glass case in the center of the room. Andros sighed and rested a hand on top of the case.

"Hey there buddy…I could really use your company right about now…"

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. I really enjoyed writing about Andros's past and just as the rangers suspect, Andros hasn't told them EVERYTHING. Don't worry though. It will all be revealed in a matter of time, as if you didn't already know that.**

 **Well, you know what to do. Leave me a review and I'll be back with the next update really soon. Until next time you guys!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	6. The Unknown

**A/N:** **Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter and I hope you're eager to find out what's happening next. So, I won't waste any time doing a recap. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Casting:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **The Unknown"**_

TJ sat on a bench in Angel Grove Park as he stared out towards the lake. It was a Saturday and several families were out enjoying the weather. It was the end of April, the beginning of May and the citizens of Angel Grove were taking advantage of the first sunny day they had seen in weeks. A cool breeze wafted by and TJ took a deep breath as he inhaled the scent of freshly cut grass and wildflowers.

"Hey, TJ!" a voice called out to him, pulling him from his thoughts.

TJ looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sight of Justin jogging over to him, his trademark bowl cut hair bouncing with each step he took. TJ stood up to greet the former Turbo Ranger and gave him a high five before they both returned to sit on the bench.

"I still can't believe you're back." Justin said with a relieved smile. "So what happened? Did you guys manage to track down Zordon?"

TJ's smile disappeared and he sighed before resting a hand on Justin's knee. "It's a lot tougher to do than we originally imagined, but I can fill in the blanks. The NASADA shuttle isn't fast enough for me and the others to make the journey in time, but we did manage to meet Andros. He's the Red Astro Ranger on a distant planet known as KO-35. He's human, so don't worry."

"You're kidding me?" Justin asked, his eyes widened in awe. "He's human?"

"From what I can tell, yes. Things weren't so great working with him at first, but he warmed up to me and the others and made us members of his team. You are officially looking at the Blue Astro Ranger."

"Blue? Come on Teej, you know that blue is my color. Well, it was anyway."

Justin's face fell as he thought over his days as the Blue Turbo Ranger and TJ squeezed his knee for comfort.

"Hey, what am I sad about?" Justin said as he forced himself to smile. "You and the others have powers again. It shouldn't be too long before you find Zordon. Just promise me that you'll stay in touch."

"Always Justin." TJ said, sincerity coating his words. "Once a ranger, always a ranger."

* * *

"Honey, tell me again why you didn't ask for mine or your father's permission before going on this trip?" Mrs. Hammond asked as she leaned against the doorframe of Ashley's room.

"Well mom, it was a last minute decision." Ashley explained as she continued shoving items into her suitcase. "Besides, the semester is almost finished and my teachers have even agreed to let me finish the last few weeks of school online. Mom, this is the internship of a lifetime. I can't pass this up."

"Honey, this is so out of the blue. Are you sure you can't wait a little while before studying abroad?"

Ashley struggled with the zipper of her leopard-print suitcase as she thought out her next words carefully. She jumped to sit on top of the suitcase and smiled when the zipper slid around the mouth of the bag with ease, closing the contents inside. She then looked up at her mother and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Mom, you know how much I have always wanted to be a designer. This internship will give me the chance to learn skills I never even had before. I may even be awarded a scholarship at the end of the program. Besides, TJ and the others received invitations to study abroad too, so I won't be alone. I promise that I'll check in with you every day that I'm gone. I'll even take lots of pictures to send to you."

Mrs. Hammond sighed before a smile broke out on her face. As much as she wanted to be angry with her daughter's rash and impulsive decision, she could see how happy she was. Besides, the letter Ashley received stated that she wouldn't have to pay a dime for the trip and she was guaranteed to get a well-enhanced and cultured education during this venture.

The older woman leaned off the doorway and walked over to her daughter to give her a quick hug.

"Honey, please be safe."

"Don't worry mom. I'll be back before you know it."

Mrs. Hammond nodded before making her way out of the teen's bedroom. Ashley shut the door behind her and locked it before walking over to her computer. She turned the monitor back on and deleted the word document she had typed up the night before and took a deep breath.

She hated lying to her mother, but this was the only way she could by herself some time to go on her quest to save Zordon. A frown slowly worked itself onto the Yellow Ranger's lips as she thought over yesterday's event of Andros's story. Her chest constricted painfully as she remembered the tears pooling in his eyes, the look of rage and defeat as he spoke of his fallen comrades. Then, there was the Silver Ranger who had conveniently been erased from Andros's story completely. He hadn't told her and the others the entire truth, but at least he gave them something to go by. He was a broken and fragile human being, but Ashley was going to make sure that he remained strong throughout their journey.

Ashley was pulled from her thoughts when her landline rang. She reached for the yellow and white phone on her nightstand table and held it up to her ear as she carelessly twisted the coiled wire around on her left index finger.

"Hello?"

" _Hey Ash, it's Cassie. I just finished telling my parents about our exclusive studying abroad opportunity. My dad seems a bit skeptical, but my mom seemed eager to let me go. I just hope this all works out in the end."_

"I know. I hated lying to my parents, but what other option did I have? We can't tell them that we're going on a long camping trip with Justin. They'd never buy that. It was already hard enough convincing the principal that my great aunt who lives out of the country died so he'd give me the clear to finish the semester online."

" _No kidding. Anyways, we have to meet TJ and the others at the Youth Center in half-an-hour. Tommy and the others are supposed to be there."_

Ashley's stomach dropped at the mentioning of the former Turbo Rangers. "Do they know what's happened?"

" _Not yet. I just hope things go over smoothly with them. Anyways, Carlos just showed up. We're on our way to get you. See you in a few."_

"Yeah, see you."

Ashley placed the phone back on the receiver and sighed before standing and walking over to her full-length mirror. She had dressed in black pants, matching boots, a black sports bra, and a yellow flannel shirt that she had left open to reveal her perfectly toned tummy. The outfit was very similar to the outfit that had been destroyed during the Power Chamber's explosion, but the flannel shirt was a few shades darker. Ashley grabbed her hairbrush and brushed her hair up into a high ponytail before sliding a black headband around her head and putting her earrings in. She smiled at her reflection and placed a hand over her heart as Andros crossed her thoughts again.

This had been happening a lot ever since she first saw the Red Ranger's face. He'd pass through her thoughts and she would be filled with an indescribable warmth. Ashley was head cheerleader and a very popular girl, so she had dated plenty of guys in her high school career, Carlos included; but none of the guys she had met had ever made her feel like Andros did. Sure, the guy could be cold and stand-offish, but he was a mystery just waiting to be unraveled and Ashley reveled at the challenge of learning more about him.

The Yellow Ranger was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Carlos honking the horn of his jeep. She pushed her thoughts of Andros to the back of her mind before snatching her suitcase and heading out the door.

* * *

The four Astro Rangers and Justin walked into the Youth Center slowly and stopped when they spied four familiar faces siting at a table on the stage seating near the Juice Bar. Although they weren't wearing their trademark ranger colors anymore, Tanya, Adam, Katherine, and Tommy were all sitting at the table chatting amongst themselves happily.

The rangers looked to their former leader who nodded his head simply before leading the way to the table. Tanya was the first to spot them and pointed, causing Adam to look up from his place beside her. Katherine and Tommy looked over their shoulders and smiled at the sight of their protégés approaching.

Tommy stood from his seat and offered TJ a hug before pulling out a chair for him to take a seat. Ashley and the others pulled chairs up from nearby tables as they too joined the party.

"It's so good to see you guys." Tanya said with a beaming smile. "When I got your phone call, I was eager to catch up. How are things at Angel Grove High?"

"Pretty much the same, more or less." Carlos said with a nervous smile. "How's college treating you?"

"It's pretty great." Adam said with a smile. "I played on my university's soccer team all season and even took up a job teaching martial arts. I plan on getting my business degree and starting up my own dojo."

"I'm going after a degree in criminal justice so I can pursue a career as a lawyer." Tanya said with a shrug.

Cassie turned to Tommy and Katherine who were sitting side by side, their hands intertwined on the tabletop. So they were still together after all this time?

"I finished up my first semester at Julliard." Katherine announced with a proud smile. "I've got an audition in a few weeks and I hope to land a part in _A Midsummer Night Dream_. The curtain goes up this fall and I really want a decent role."

"I'm studying paleontology." Tommy said, earning strange looks from the new rangers. "I know it sounds complicated, but it's really fascinating. I spent four years of my life fighting as a dino ranger, so dinosaurs have a special place in my heart."

Everyone smiled in acknowledgement as an awkward silence suddenly came over the group. Katherine was the first to notice the troubled looks on the others' faces and exchanged a worried glance with Tommy.

"Something's happened." She said in realization.

TJ nodded. "A lot has happened and we felt that you guys had the right to know."

"Well don't leave us in suspense." Adam said. "I'm going to school all the way in Colorado and they don't stream news broadcasts from Angel Grove, so I wouldn't know anything about your latest battles. What is it? Are you having trouble defeating Divatox?"

A guilty look flashed through TJ's eyes and Tommy knew that something was terribly wrong. He unlaced his fingers from Katherine's and rested a hand on TJ's shoulder.

"Whatever it is, you can tell us."

"I failed you Tommy." TJ spoke, his voice heavy. "I've failed you all as Red Ranger."

A puzzled look crossed Tommy's face. "What are you talking about?"

TJ sighed and prepared himself for the worst possible outcome. "Eltar was invaded by an army ran by Dark Specter, an evil dictator. Apparently, he's the most evil being in the universe and all of the rangers enemies work under his thumb and rule. Dark Specter's forces captured Zordon."

"What?" the former rangers all said in disbelief.

"I don't understand." Tanya spoke, her hands shaking. "How is this even possible? Where is he now?"

"We have no idea where he is." Ashley continued. "Zordon contacted us before he was captured and told us not to go after him because it would leave the earth unprotected, so we stayed on the earth. Unfortunately, Divatox took Zordon's capture to her advantage and she sent a powerful monster out to defeat us. We lost the Turbo Zords and both Mountain Blaster and Red Lightning Cruiser were captured."

Tommy's hand curled into a tight fist. He was seething at this news.

"Dimitra and the Blue Senturion left for Eltar to assist Zordon and we haven't heard from them since." Carlos continued. "In their absence, Divatox learned the location of the Power Chamber and she ambushed us. She destroyed everything you guys. There is nothing left."

"So we decided to chase after Divatox into space and hoped we could track Zordon down." Cassie continued. "Our shuttle was pulled in by an alien spacecraft and we met Andros. He's the Red Astro Power Ranger from a human space colony known as KO-35. Dark Specter and Astronema are his sworn enemies and he knows Zordon well. Apparently, Zordon bestowed the Karovian people with morphers hundreds of years ago. Andros gave us new morphers and we're working with him to stop Zordon."

Everyone was silent as they allowed the news to sink in. The powers that the former rangers had left in the care of these young teens had been completely destroyed and their founder, mentor, and friend Zordon had been captured.

"Please say something." Ashley begged. "Scream, lecture us please. Just don't sit there and stare at us. It's a little nerve-wrecking."

The older rangers exchanged a glance before Tommy cleared his throat. "Wow…this is a lot to take in."

"I know." TJ said as he hung his head in shame. "I am so sorry Tommy. You entrusted me with your morpher and expected me to lead this new team into victory and look what happened. I have failed you."

"No TJ, you haven't failed me." Tommy said, sincerity in his voice. "Everyone makes mistakes. No hero is perfect, not even me. My team and I have had plenty of failures during our time as rangers."

"Yeah." Adam agreed. "Who could forget when those construction workers freed Ivan Ooze and he destroyed the Power Chamber along with Zordon's energy tube? We lost our powers and ventured to Phados to find the great power to gain our morphing abilities back and to find the power to save Zordon."

"You did?" Carlos asked, a look of bewilderment on his face.

Tommy nodded. "We did. The point I'm trying to make you guys is that you can't allow what's happened in the past to weigh you down. Yes, the Power Chamber was destroyed along with the Turbo Zords and your powers, but you guys have managed to make a friend with a fellow ranger who was able to give you your morphing powers back. You guys are still the Power Rangers. You still have what it takes to find Zordon and defeat Dark Specter. Don't doubt yourselves, you can do it."

"Yes." Katherine agreed as she took Tommy's hand once more. "And we'll be back here on earth cheering you on every step of the way."

"Believe me, if we could help you, we would." Tanya said. "But our time as rangers is over and done with. It's your turn now. We did not make a mistake when we chose the four of you to take our place. I know deep within my heart that you have the power and strength to come out on top in the end. Just have a little faith in yourselves."

"Yeah." Justin agreed.

"Thanks you guys." TJ said as he took a sigh of relief. "You don't know how good it makes me feel to hear you say that."

"It's no problem TJ." Katherine spoke up. "So, where is this Andros guy you were talking about? I'm really interested in meeting him."

"He's sort of a loner." Cassie said as she scratched the back of her head. "We just found out yesterday that his entire team was killed during Dark Specter's attack on their planet. He's been tracking down Dark Specter and Astronema for almost two years by himself."

"Poor guy." Katherine said.

"Speaking of Andros, we should probably get back to the Megaship." TJ said as he stood to his feet. "I'd hate for him to leave without us."

"Well you guys know how to reach us." Tommy said with a smile as he stood up and shook TJ's hand. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to call us. We'll be home all summer for summer break."

"Right then." TJ said with a smile. "Let's go you guys."

Tommy sat back down as he and the others watched the new Astro Rangers run off. He then turned to his friends and sighed.

"I can't believe Zordon's been captured."

"Me neither." Adam agreed. "I didn't think it was possible for him to be taken advantage of that easily. This Dark Specter creep sounds more menacing than anyone we've ever gone up against."

"Yeah." Tanya agreed. "They said that all of our enemies serve him. That means Rita, Zedd, the Machine Empire, Divatox…they're all his puppets."

"I just wish there was something we could do." Justin said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Like it or not you guys, we're no longer the Power Rangers." Tommy said, a slight hint of disappointment in his voice. "That chapter of our lives is over. It's up to them now."

Everyone turned towards the door where the Astro Rangers had disappeared through moments before and sighed. Tommy was right. It was all out of their hands now.

* * *

Andros was on the bridge doing an intergalactic scan when the others teleported onboard the ship. They walked into the room silently, not wanting to disturb their leader, and formed a horizontal line. Andros heard their footsteps and looked up just as they were falling in line. He then turned his attention back to his research.

"So, you decided to come back." He said, not showing any emotion.

"We're in this for the long haul." TJ said reassuringly. "Listen Andros, we're sorry about everything that happened yesterday and we're willing to look past everything that's happened up to this point. We're prepared to leave our lives on earth behind so we can join you to find Zordon. That is, if you'll let us."

Andros looked away from the computer monitor once more and studied their faces. Everyone, Carlos included, looked serious and determined. He sighed and nodded once before motioning for the others to join him by the monitors. After pulling up a new screen, Andros began to explain his findings.

"I just finished doing a scan of the Milky Way Galaxy for any signs of abnormal energy that could be linked to Zordon. Just as I suspected, Zordon isn't here. I also launched a scan to try and track down the Dark Fortress's trail from yesterday and tracked its course through a galaxy four quadrants from here. I think we should check the quadrant for any signs of Zordon and then continue onward."

"Right then." TJ said with a nod. "So, what would you like us to do?"

Andros placed his hand to his chin in thought. "The Megaship can run on autopilot while we make our journey. We should arrive in the quadrant in a little under two hours. In the meantime, I'll perform a few maintenance checks while you guys get settled in. Once you've finished with that, I guess you can polish the Galaxy Gliders."

"I'm sorry, the galaxy what?" Cassie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Andros smiled before motioning for them to follow after him. He led them down the hall and down the ladder shaft into a sublevel of the ship. He then led the rangers to the cargo bay. After entering a code into a keypad on the wall, five shafts opened up in the floor and five Galaxy Gliders emerged from the floor resting on display pedestals. The earthlings stared in awe at the Karovian gadgets.

"You were floating on one of these boards when you came to rescue us from Ecliptor yesterday." Ashley said as she recalled their battle at NASADA. "They're amazing."

"There's one for each of you." Andros said as he walked over to his board and ran his hand over its reflective surface. "Harper created the Galaxy Gliders for me and my team. They were her pride and joy. The Galaxy Gliders allow you to travel a great amount of distance in a limited time. They're faster than those bicycle things that you use on earth and way faster than those car things you guys drive around in. The best part is that you can use them to travel a great distance through space without the use of a spaceship or shuttle. There's a force field that wraps itself around you that keeps you from losing your balance on the board. You lean forward to accelerate, back to decelerate, and you can even perform some pretty cool tricks."

"That sounds cool." Carlos said as he admired the black glider. "Say, do you think we could take these babies on a test run?"

Andros placed his hand to his chin in thought. They did have a lot of work to accomplish, but it would be nice to relax and unwind a little during their two hour venture.

"I don't see why not." He spoke up finally. "To the jump tubes."

* * *

Astronema stood by idly as her Quantrons did their best to reconstruct the damaged parts of Ecliptor's armor. The evil general let out a cry of pain as the Quantron's tools sparked loudly, the lights burning his eyes.

"Would you idiots watch what you're doing?" he roared. "I am a delicate piece of machinery and do not wish to be damaged any more than I already have."

"Oh Ecliptor, stop your complaining." Astronema said with a roll of her eyes. "They're doing the best they can. If you hadn't have let those Power Rangers hit you with their blasters in the first place, you wouldn't be lying there. Now let them finish your repairs. We have business to attend to."

"And what business would that be my princess?" Ecliptor asked, curiosity coating his words.

Astronema's hand clenched into a fist as she paced in front of him. "Destroying the Power Rangers of course. The Red Ranger may have survived the attack on KO-35 but he won't be so lucky this time around. I don't care if he has the Astro Megaship in his arsenal, it still isn't enough to beat me. I will destroy them if it's the last thing I do."

Ecliptor was silent as he watched his "daughter" fume. Her nostrils were flaring, her teeth were clenched, but that didn't distract him from seeing the look of pain and remorse in her eyes. There was more to the situation than she was letting on to, but he knew better than to press the issue any further.

"Fix him up and make it fast." Astronema snapped as she raised a warning finger to her Quantrons. "We have a monster to create."

The Quantrons nodded before hurrying to get back to work. Astronema turned abruptly and stormed out of the infirmary towards her bed chambers. Once the door slid shut behind her, she let out a shuddering sigh and sauntered over to her king-sized bed.

As she lie on her back, her gaze focused on the metal etched ceiling overhead, her thoughts drifted towards the Power Rangers who were without a doubt chasing after her and her Dark Fortress. Her lips curved into a menacing snarl as she thought of the Red Ranger. He was the last of the Karovian Rangers she had destroyed, yet he had managed to live. She thought she had exacted her revenge against the Power Rangers and avenged her family's wrongful deaths. She knew the all too familiar account of events that Ecliptor had relayed to her time and time again as a child. The Power Rangers had killed her family in cold blood and she was left on the brink of death amongst their corpses. If Ecliptor had not found her and nursed her back to health, she would have perished along with them. Maybe it would have been better that way, to die alongside her family? Maybe then, she wouldn't have to live with so much pain and remorse in her heart.

Astronema turned her head towards her vanity where a silver hairbrush could be seen resting on a pedestal. The pain in her heart worsened as she stood from the bed and approached the hair brush, taking it into her hands. She removed the glove from her right hand and ran her fingers across the soft, fine bristles as her skin twitched in excitement from the contact. Suddenly, she squeezed her eyes shut as memories threatened to spill through the wall she had thrown up in her mind; but no matter how hard she tried, _his_ voice still leaked through

" _Oh wow…it's beautiful." Astronema said as she took the hairbrush from his hands and admired the quality crafting of the object. "Where did you get this?"_

" _I made an even trade with a nearby colony. It's made of the hairs of a fearsome beast and the handle is made from real Silverstone. When I saw it…it made me think of you. I hope you like it."_

" _Like it?" she said as she looked up at him, a playful look in her eyes._

 _He watched her, a soft smile on his lips as she slowly raised the brush to her purple locks and began to brush her hair slowly. The brush's bristles slid over her hair, smoothing the tangles with ease. It was a simple gift, yet it held more meaning than any of the finest gems and jewels in the galaxy because it had come from the heart._

 _She took a step towards him, setting the hairbrush down on the disarray of sheets resting on her mattress. She raised a hand to his face, cupping her cheek in its palm before looking into his eyes, emerald green meeting a frosted blue, before leaning in to capture his lips in a passionate kiss. When she pulled away, her hand moved from his cheek to the bleach blonde hair atop his head and she smiled._

" _I love it. Thank you."_

Astronema growled angrily as she took hold of the hairbrush and threw it at the vanity mirror. The crash was loud and she watched with tear-filled eyes as shards rained down onto the floor. She stared at the hair brush that was lying on the vanity top, its handle covered in scratches from the reflective shards. She then fell onto her knees as her tears spilled over.

She thought she had pushed him to the back of her mind. She thought she could forget about him; and after the rangers fall on KO-35, she never once dreamed that he would invade her thoughts again. Yet there she was, sitting on her knees in a sea of glass shards while the Power Rangers lived on, ready to strike her down.

Astronema looked up towards the broken mirror where she could see her reflection broken and distorted on the mirror's surface, just like her heart.

* * *

The cargo bay doors of the Megaship opened slowly as the Astro Rangers made their way back onto the ship, cheering excitedly as they came to a stop on their gliders. Carlos was the first to hop down and he couldn't get rid of the beaming smile on his face as he unlatched his helmet.

"Man, what a rush. Skateboarding has nothing on this." He said with a laugh.

The other rangers removed their helmets, equal looks of excitement on their faces as they hopped down from their gliders.

"This will definitely make getting around easier." Cassie agreed. "You said the former Yellow Ranger made them?"

Andros nodded. "Harper took over as weapons manager after she gave her morpher to Adia. She was pregnant during our times as rangers, so she couldn't exactly take on the task of training new recruits. She was one of the smartest people I ever knew and she received several awards for her technological contributions to the colony. She's actually the one who invented the Simudeck and she even created the Booster Mode for my Spiral Saber."

"Talk about a science whiz." TJ said. "So, how far into space do you think we are? Do you think we're close to the quadrant?"

Andros looked towards D.E.C.A.'s monitor and smiled. "D.E.C.A., what is our current proximity to the computed location."

 _We are approximately thirty minutes from the desired course._

"Wow, were we really gone that long?" Cassie asked.

"Looks like it." Andros said with a shrug.

Carlos yawned before stretching his arms above his head. "Well, I'm gonna put up my suit and take a shower. I wouldn't mind having a bite to eat either."

"That actually sounds pretty good." TJ agreed as he rubbed his growling stomach. "I forgot to grab a bite when we went to the Youth Center. Come on, I'll synthesize a pizza."

Carlos and Cassie followed after the Blue Ranger, but Ashley lingered behind, watching Andros as he shut all the gliders off. When he felt her eyes resting on him, the Red Ranger looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you hungry?"

Ashley shook her head, her ponytail swishing back and forth. "I thought you might want some help putting the gliders away."

"Don't worry, I got it." Andros said with a smile as he extended his right hand towards the Black Galaxy Glider.

Ashley's eyes widened in disbelief as the glider began moving of its own accord towards its pedestal. She turned her focus back to Andros who repeated the motion as he moved the other gliders back into place.

"I can't believe it. You have telekinesis?"

Andros nodded, a smile gracing lips having been amused by her enthusiasm. "It's quite common for Karovians to develop telekinetic abilities as children. It takes years of practice to master the technique, but it's pretty easy once you've gotten used to it."

"I would kill to be able to move things with my mind. It would definitely make my life a lot easier. Say, do you think you could teach me sometime?"

Andros wanted to say no, that he didn't have time to teach her something he found to be an easy task, but the cheerful look on her face warmed his heart and he found that he didn't have the ability to tell her no.

"It could take a while," he started, "but I guess I could give you a few pointers on telekinetic abilities."

Ashley squealed with excitement as she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, her lips moving a mile a minute as she thanked him repeatedly. Andros stiffened at the sudden body contact, but he wouldn't let on how uncomfortable the closeness made him.

Ashley gasped and pulled away from him, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it." He said reassuringly before patting her on the shoulder.

As Andros made his way back to his living quarters, he ran over the previous events of the day in his mind. Yesterday, things seemed like they had taken a turn for the worse when it came to him and his team; but now, things seemed to be looking up. What started out as a day of unknown uncertainty turned out to be a day of, dare he say, fun. It had been so long since he had felt this light and carefree that the feeling was sort of foreign to him. One thing was for sure, he liked the feeling, and he hoped more than anything that it was a feeling that was here to stay.

* * *

 **A/N:** **So the former Turbo Rangers have been made aware of the Astro Rangers current events and they are willing to support them one-hundred percent. Then there's the fact that Andros is finally bonding with his teammates (some more than others).**

 **And what about Astronema? Who is this mystery love interest from her past and why is she trying so hard to forget about them?**

 **All of that and more will be revealed in the upcoming chapters. Most importantly, the introduction to this story is finally over and done with. It's time to embark on our journey through the show. See you at the next update!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	7. Never Stop Searching

**A/N:** **Hey guys, I'm back after taking a week off for Thanksgiving Break. Let's just say, being out of school really left me unmotivated to do anything but eat and sleep. Well, now I'm back so we can continue onward with the story. Let's do this thing!**

 **Casting:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Never Stop Searching"**_

Cassie and TJ rode through the outskirts of space, both of them holding intergalactic scanners in their hands as they travelled through space. Cassie's scanner began beeping wildly and she slowed down to a stop as she swiped a gloved finger across the screen to see what her scanner had picked up. TJ stopped his searching when he realized Cassie had gotten a reading, and he quickly turned around to join the Pink Ranger.

"Did you find something?" he asked, his interest peaking as he moved to look over her shoulder.

"The Dark Fortress definitely passed through here." Cassie said as she moved the handheld device for TJ to see. "My scanner has picked up on some insane abnormal energy. Do you think this is what Andros was talking about earlier?"

TJ took Cassie's scanner and read over the data being displayed onscreen. Thankfully, Andros and D.E.C.A. had managed to modify some of Andros's equipment to display readings in English rather than Andros's Karovian language so the readings weren't too complicated to understand. However, the scanner couldn't seem to make sense of the energy that crossed Cassie's path.

TJ passed the scanner back to Cassie before holding his communicator up to his mouth. "Come in Megaship, this is TJ."

" _Hey TJ."_ Andros's voice floated through the speaker. _"Did you and Cassie manage to find anything?"_

"The scanner seems to be having some trouble deciphering the energy in the area, but it definitely picked up on something abnormal. How are things going back on the ship?"

" _The others and I started a search for Zordon by trying to lock onto his life energy source. Zordon is powerful, so his energy level shouldn't be too hard to detect. The problem is, Dark Specter is well aware of how powerful Zordon is and he's probably masking his energy with some sort of device to throw us off balance. You and Cassie can head back to the Megaship and conclude your search. We can go over the information you collected tomorrow morning. About face and head east on your gliders. It should take you two half an hour to reach our current location. Time to call it a night."_

"Right. TJ, over and out."

TJ ended the communication link and turned to Cassie who was busy looking down at the scanner.

"Cass, let's go."

Cassie looked up from the readings and nodded before leaning forward to accelerate on her glider. TJ followed after her before the two of them turned around and sped off towards the Megaship.

* * *

Carlos hummed quietly to himself as he ran a rag covered in wax over the Black Galaxy Glider. Out of all of the inventions that Andros had introduced to him and his friends since they embarked on their journey, his glider happened to be his favorite. It was his own personal gadget and he was rather skilled at using it. Years of skateboarding in junior high school seemed to pay off big time. Carlos placed his hand to his chin in thought as he wondered whether or not Andros would allow him to paint large red and orange flames on its surface to spice it up a bit.

The cargo bay doors slid open and Carlos watched as TJ and Cassie came in for a landing. The two of them removed their ranger helmets and sighed as they took a fresh breath of air. Their helmets protected them, being that they were a part of the ranger suits, but they made the rangers pretty hot over an extended period of time.

"Back so soon are we?" Carlos asked with a smirk as he tossed his rag down on top of his glider.

Cassie nodded as she set her helmet down on top of her glider and walked over to show Carlos her scanner.

"The scanner detected some sort of abnormal energy in the quadrant that TJ and I were investigating. Now, I'm starting to think that it was just exhaust fumes from the Dark Fortress."

"Regardless of what it is, it's still a clue as to where Astronema is heading." TJ said with a smile. "It shouldn't take us too long to catch up with her. Then, we can find her, capture her, and find out where Dark Specter is keeping Zordon."

Cassie nodded, stifling a yawn before stretching her arms above her head. "Wow, it's getting pretty late. I'm gonna head off to bed you two. Goodnight."

TJ and Carlos waved as Cassie snatched up her helmet and headed out of the sliding doors.

"What about you Carlos?" TJ asked his friend as he too began to feel tired. "It's going on one in the morning back on earth. You should probably get some sleep."

"I'll be fine." Carlos said with a shrug before picking his rag back up. "Besides, I'm almost finished in here. I'll see you in the morning."

TJ shrugged before taking his helmet and heading off in the direction after Cassie. Carlos sat back down and began polishing his glider again. After he was sure it was shiny enough, he slid it back to its pedestal and lowered it into its holding space beneath the floor. He then moved TJ and Cassie's abandoned gliders to their respective places before lowering them as well.

Carlos could feel his eyes getting heavy and he released an audible yawn before looking at the digital clock positioned on the far wall of the room. His eyes widened when he realized it was going on three in the morning. Deciding that it was the perfect time to get some sleep, he headed out of the cargo bay, shutting the lights off behind him.

* * *

Carlos walked down the hallway with heavy eyelids. He knew he was going to regret staying up so late when Andros called a briefing meeting in a few hours. Just as he headed towards his room, he could hear the sound of children laughing. A confused look crossed the Black Ranger's face and he headed towards the source of the sound.

The sounds led Carlos to the bridge and much to Carlos's surprise, the front window of the ship had become a television screen of sorts. Andros was positioned in one of the swivel chairs, his back to the door as he stared at the screen. There was an image of two children, a little boy and a little girl, who looked to be around five or six years old. Carlos realized immediately that the little boy with brown and blonde striped hair was a younger Andros. The little girl he was playing with looked very similar to him, only her brown and blonde hair reached her lower back and she had eyes that were a beautiful cerulean blue. The two children were busy playing with some sort of collapsible, rainbow colored ball in the middle of a park.

The person holding the camera said something in a language that was very foreign to Carlos. The camera then turned to a woman with long blonde hair that reached down to her calf muscles. She was busy placing a blanket on the ground. She waved at the camera and smiled before blowing a kiss to the camera person. That said person turned the camera around and waved happily at the camera. He looked like a much older, and more mature version of Andros with brown hair that reached his shoulders and a little bit of facial hair.

Carlos realized that the man and woman must be Andros's parents and the little girl without a doubt was his sister. The striking resemblance between Andros and his sister along with their similarities in how old they appeared to be led Carlos to assume that they were twins.

The camera focused back on the two children who were telekinetically passing the ball between them when suddenly, the little girl lost control of the ball. Andros jumped to his feet, his little legs moving out as he ran after the ball while the little girl giggled happily. The cameraman followed Andros with the camera. He had only turned away for a total of five seconds when the sounds of the little girl's screams could be heard. The camera snapped back to where the girl had last been seen, but she was nowhere to be found. The cameraman begins shouting the name _Karone_ repeatedly as the camera darts around the park in search of the child. When the camera finally spots some sort of creature carrying Karone into the woods, its face obscured by the foliage, Andros's father drops the camera and runs after the little girl.

A young Andros starts calling for his sister, the ball having been long forgotten, as he chases after his father, but he stops dead in his tracks when his father is sent hurtling through the air by a blast of electricity. The man lands in front of the camera and groans while his wife screams, tears in her voice as she tries to help her husband.

The image suddenly cuts off and Carlos watches with a heavy heart as a visibly shaken Andros leans back in his chair and stares up at the ceiling. Carlos catches sight of a pendant in Andros's hand where two pictures of him and Karone are resting inside. Andros closes the pendant before sliding its chain over his head and tucking it into his shirt.

"If I could just find out who took her, maybe I'd have a stronger chance of finding her. D.E.C.A., have you picked up on any life force signatures similar to my own in this galaxy?"

 **My sensors do not detect any life forms with a signature DNA structure to yours in this galaxy. Andros, it is getting late. Shall we stop searching for the evening?**

"I will never stop searching." Andros declared boldly as he stood to his feet. "We can stop our search for now and resume in the morning. Please D.E.C.A., if you do happen to sense anything, do not hesitate to let me know."

 **Understood Andros. Goodnight.**

Carlos's eyes widened when he realized Andros was going to turn around. Thinking quickly, he ran towards the dining hall and over to the Synthetron. He could hear Andros's footsteps approaching and hurried to punch in a meal. Seconds later, the machine beeped and Carlos pulled out a glass of milk and a giant chocolate chip cookie.

Andros passed by, stopping in the doorway when he saw Carlos taking a sip from his glass.

"Carlos, I had no idea you were awake." Andros said as he tried to regain his composure.

Carlos could tell that the Red Ranger had been crying previously, but he wouldn't mention it. "Yeah, I just wanted a little snack before bed. I was busy polishing my glider and sort of lost track of time."

"I see." Andros said quietly as he watched Carlos eat. "Well then, I'll see you in the morning."

Carlos nodded as he watched Andros head towards his chambers. He then sighed before taking a seat at the table.

"Someone kidnapped his sister." He said quietly. "How much more can that guy take?"

Carlos's thoughts turned back to the image of Andros's grieving parents as they screamed for their daughter. How come they couldn't find her? Who would be so cruel as to steal a child from her home?

* * *

The next morning, Carlos opened his eyes as his alarm clock went off. He groaned, his eyes still heavy with sleep as he glanced at the digital clock beside him. It was eight a.m. and he had only managed to get four hours of sleep. It was his own fault, and he knew that; but it didn't change the fact that he wished he could go back to sleep.

With a heavy groan, Carlos pulled his blankets off before heading towards his closet to gather another Astro Ranger uniform before his shower. He was stopped when D.E.C.A.'s voice suddenly spilled into the room from an overhead speaker.

 **Attention rangers. Please report to the bridge for an emergency briefing. I repeat, please report to the bridge for an emergency briefing.**

Carlos raised an eyebrow, unsure of why Andros would consider their briefing to be an emergency. Deciding to hold off on the shower, Carlos simply slid a black tank top over his bare chest before heading to meet the others on the bridge.

When Carlos got to the bridge, he was pleased to see that he wasn't the only one who wasn't ready for their day. Ashley's hair was still wrapped in rollers, a green facial mask on her face while she was wrapped in a fluffy yellow bathrobe. Cassie still had on a pair of black basketball shorts and a pink and black polka dotted pajama shirt, her hair in two pigtails on her head. TJ was busy wiping shaving cream off his chin with a blue bath towel, wearing his Astro pants, boots, and shirt, but missing his jacket. Carlos stifled a yawn before collapsing into one of the available chairs in the room.

"Good, you're all here." Andros said as he walked into the room, fully dressed for the day.

"What's going on?" Ashley asked with a yawn as she took a seat beside Carlos.

"I was launching an intergalactic scan this morning when I managed to detect an evil life force nearby. After conducting little research on the energy signal, D.E.C.A. and I managed to learn that it belongs to Divatox."

"What?" The others gasped.

"Divatox is responsible for wiping out your powers, but she is also the last person that we know of who saw Zordon."

"So where is Divatox now?" TJ asked, his face serious.

"I've managed to track her down on a planet in the Karova System. My people used to conduct trades there all the time. It's a jungle planet and the heat is a little intense, so we'll have to be careful."

"The Karova System." Ashley repeats slowly. "That's where your planet is located, right?"

Andros nodded once. "It is, but let's not worry about that now. I'm sending you, TJ, and Cassie down to the planet's surface. You are to remain in stealth mode and observe Divatox. Do not pursue her under any circumstances. If you set her off, it could ruin or chances at finding out what she knows about Zordon. Carlos and I will remain here on the Megaship just in case she tries to pull a fast one on us and escapes. Any questions?"

The rangers shook their heads before heading off to get ready. Andros nodded before heading back towards the controls. If Divatox did have Zordon, he was going to be ready to attack.

* * *

TJ, Cassie, and Ashley creep through the foliage of the jungle planet, careful not to step on any twigs or leaves to alert Divatox and her henchman of their presence. Since their arrival, they had managed to come across several Piranhatrons, but the foot soldiers were too distracted by their own agendas that they had failed to notice the Yellow, Blue, and Pink Rangers creeping through the forest.

Cassie stopped walking when she heard a loud, obnoxious voice coming from her right. She motioned for TJ and Ashley to follow her and they quickly headed towards the sound. The closer they got, the more recognizable the voice became. Divatox was definitely the one shouting orders to her loyal subjects. The rangers pause behind a large tree trunk and peered around its side to watch Divatox pacing back and forth as she shook her fist in the air, her Piranhatrons cowering in fear.

"How could you let him get away you buffoons!" she yelled. "Dark Specter is going to have my head for this and it will be all your fault. He stole Zordon's keycards. Who knows what he's going to do with them!"

"Keycards…?" Ashley spoke slowly as she exchanged a glance with her teammates.

"Not just any keycards. Zordon's keycards." TJ pointed out. "I wonder who took them."

"Let's spread out and search for clues." Cassie suggested. "Maybe we can find some trace evidence leading us to where they've gone."

"Right." TJ agreed. "We'll split up and search individually. If anything should happen, we need to contact one another so we can rendezvous. Got it?"

Cassie and Ashley nodded before heading off in separate directions. TJ chose to stay close to Divatox and her goons, carefully peering through the large leaves of surrounding bushes and trees as he tried to locate any signs of Zordon having been on the planet. He gasped when he spied a large metal structure a good distance away from Divatox. He jogged over to the object and raised an eyebrow as he observed it. There were large tubes and a connector in the center of the structure along with several control panels. TJ recognized the design of the connecter, for it was similar to the one back at the old Command Center where Dimitria's tube was stored. By the looks of things, it had recently been in use, but how long ago?

* * *

Andros sat alone on the bridge, waiting for TJ and the girls to contact him on their findings. He had sent Carlos off to the engine a little while ago to retrieve a scanner just in case the others needed it. It was strange for Divatox to be so far into space, especially in the Karova System which barely held any inhabitants since Dark Specter and Astronema's attack; so why would all of that change now?

 **Andros, my sensors detect a life force on KO-35.**

Andros's eyes widened as D.E.C.A.'s words reached his ears. He spun around quickly in his chair before running over to the control panel and pulling open a new screen. Sure enough, the Megaship's radar system was detecting a small blip on the planet.

"The colony was abandoned two years ago. Why would there be any life on the planet?" he wondered. This situation was a little peculiar, but Andros was intrigued nonetheless. Perhaps this lone stranger on his planet was one of Dark Specter's henchman.

"D.E.C.A., I'm heading to KO-35." He announced before heading into the dining hall to grab his morpher from his locker.

 **Shall I alert the others to you whereabouts?**

"Don't bother. I'll be back soon. It will only take a minute."

D.E.C.A. was silent as Andros ran over to his red jump tube and powering up his morpher before being shot out of the Megaship and onto his Galaxy Glider.

As Andros drifted through the confines of space, his stomach began to flutter with nervousness. He hadn't been to his home planet since the colony was abandoned. He had promised his fellow Karovians that he would go after Astronema and Dark Specter to avenge their people. He was the last remaining member of his team and he had a mission to complete. He would die trying if he had to.

Once KO-35 came into view, Andros took a shaky breath before slowing to a stop on his glider. He stared at the planet's purple and green surface with a heavy heart. Who knew what he would find if he ventured to his home world? There would be, without a doubt, remnants of that great battle to claim the lives of his friends and family. There would be no one but him and the heavy reminder of the humiliating and painful defeat he and his friends suffered.

In spite of his pain, Andros leaned forward on his glider and ventured to the planet's surface.

* * *

" _Cassie, it's TJ. I managed to find a hookup station similar to the one that Alpha and Dimitria used back on KO-35. Ashley and I are going to teleport back to the Megaship to fill Andros and Carlos in on our findings. Rendezvous there. TJ, over and out."_

"Roger that Teej." Cassie responded. "I'll see you shortly."

Cassie ended the communication link and raised her morpher up, prepared to teleport back to the Megaship. She froze when she heard Divatox's voice approaching. Looking around quickly for a place to hide, Cassie dove into a bush and pulled the leaves back to get a better view of what was happening.

Divatox walked past with Rygog and a few Piranhatrons while wining about mud sticking to her heeled boots. She then flipped her purple ponytail over her shoulder, her nostrils flaring with anger.

"I can't believe you idiots let the Phantom Ranger get away!"

"The Phantom Ranger?" Cassie gasped, her heart fluttering in her chest as her thoughts turned to the mysterious ranger who had helped her and her friends on more than one occasion in the past.

"I mean, how hard is it to throw a punch or two?" Divatox continued to roar. "He stole those keycards and ran off to God knows where. It's only a matter of time until Dark Specter finds out and _then_ what are we going to do? Even worse, I heard that there's a new team of Power Rangers floating around through space chasing after Zordon. If they find out about those keycards…even worse, if the Phantom Ranger manages to get a hold of them, WE'RE ALL SCREWED!"

Cassie crawled out of the bushes before running off into the woods, her heart pounding nervously in her chest. So the Phantom Ranger had managed to get his hands on something valuable that belonged to Zordon? The others were definitely going to love hearing about this.

* * *

Ashley removed her helmet and ran her fingers through her hair before collapsing in one of the chairs on the bridge. TJ removed his helmet as well and set it down before looking around the room.

"Where are Carlos and Andros? Weren't they supposed to be keeping watch?"

Cassie jogged into the room a few seconds later panting. Concerned, Ashley and TJ walked over to their friend.

"Cassie, what's going on?" Ashley asked.

"You guys aren't going to believe this." She said in between pants. "Divatox is chasing after the Phantom Ranger."

TJ's eyes narrowed at the mentioning of their mysterious ally. "Why?"

"Well remember how you said there was a hook up on the planet where Zordon could've possibly been held? Well he really was being held there. The Phantom Ranger must've found out because he managed to steal Zordon's keycards and make off with them. They must be important, otherwise Divatox wouldn't be so determined to find him."

"Are you sure that's what she's after?" Ashley questioned her friend. "I mean, she's always been interested in his power gem. Are you sure she said keycards?"

"Positive." Cassie said, her eyes widened in desperation for her friends to believe her. "We have to get in contact with him."

"But how?" Ashley asked. "We don't even know where to begin looking for him."

"Maybe Andros can track his life force or something." Cassie suggested. "That is how he managed to locate Divatox. Maybe he can do the same for the Phantom Ranger."

Cassie paused her chatter when she noticed that the Red and Black Rangers were missing. She looked around the room before heading over to the hallway to take a peek down both ends of the hall.

"Where are Andros and Carlos?"

"D.E.C.A., where have Carlos and Andros gone?" TJ questioned the A.I. as he turned to D.E.C.A.'s camera.

 **Andros left the Megaship approximately forty minutes ago to head to KO-35. Carlos followed after him.**

"KO-35?" Ashley said before running over to the front window. Sure enough, there was a large planet floating off in the distance. "Why would he go there?"

 **My sensors detected a life form on the planet's surface. Andros went to investigate and promised to return before you all got back; but I'm afraid he has yet to return or contact me.**

"This sounds like a trap." TJ state straight-forwardly. "Why would he walk right into it so blindly?"

"He hasn't been home in years." Cassie suggested with a shrug. "Maybe he was curious as to who could be on the planet?"

"Let's go." Ashley said quickly before snatching up her helmet.

* * *

Andros stares around at the rubble of KO-35 with a heavy heart. The once white and pristine buildings had all been damaged by fires and explosions. Soot and ash still littered the streets along with metal and concrete debris. It was like a ghost town as Andros walked down the main street of the Capital with nothing but the howl of the wind accompanying him. He paused when he reached the Capital square, the capital building standing tall in all its glory while the warm glow of the sun shed light on its battered surface. Andros held his breath as he headed towards the building and walked up the front steps. The sliding doors had long ago stopped working, and Andros spent a total of five minutes struggling to push them open. He stepped inside and looked around at the front hall, the long red carpet that he had walked down many times before still stretching all the way to the Grand Elder's throne. Pictures of the planet's past grand elders lined the walls, a few of the frames cracked and dusting covering the surface of the images.

Andros walked down the corridor towards the throne, his boots echoing loudly off the surrounding walls. He paused when he reached the throne before dropping to his knees to bow in respect.

"Grand Elder…I have returned." He spoke in a soft voice as he stared down at the dirt marbled floors below his feet. He raised his head slowly, his eyes meeting the black fabric of the throne chair. "I know that you have long since passed from this world, but your spirit will forever remain here. I know that you have been watching over me, guiding me on my journey to avenge you and our people."

Andros grew silent as his eyes caught sight of a large set of sliding doors behind the throne and he had to take another deep breath to calm himself as he spotted the Karovian symbols for HQ positioned above the doors. Slowly, he stood to his feet and walked around the throne before heading to the doors. He spied the keypad next to the door, some of the numbers on the buttons worn out from overuse. He silently prayed that the door would allow him access before inserting 3-3-5 into the keypad. There was a loud beeping noise before the doors slid open, revealing a long white corridor.

Andros was shocked that it appeared to be untouched. Even after the planet's demise, the Astro Rangers' base of operations still remained intact. Andros walked down the halls as memories flooded his mind. So many times he had walked in and out of this hallway while HQ workers passed him by working diligently on projects. He remembered back in the days of training when Zhane had run down the hall in a pair of tube socks and his boxers after the girls had played a mean prank on him and stole his clothes. When he slipped and fell, his boxers fell off and everyone couldn't contain their laughter; not even the Grand Elder who had come to visit that day. Andros smiled at the memory before continuing his way through the large estate.

After five minutes of walking, he finally reached the Command Center. All of the computers had been shut off and there was an eerie silence that made Andros's heart hurt even more. He walked over to the large conference table where he and his teammates would meet for briefing with Cain. He ran his fingers over the table's surface, his fingertips collecting dust along with way before he collapsed in his red chair to stare up at the ceiling. His mind filled with memories.

" _This is it Andros!" Zhane exclaimed, a broad smile on his face as he and his best friend walked to stand amongst the hundreds of cadets who were going to enter the Astro Academy. "We've been dreaming about being Astro Rangers since we were kids. Now, it's finally time to see if we have what it takes."_

" _I don't know Zhane." Andros replied nervously as he watched Cain and the rest of his team walk out of the Capital building, their heads held high with confidence. "Cain and his team are legends. What if we don't have what it takes to fill their shoes? What if…I'm just not cut out to be a Power Ranger?"_

" _Andros, you've got to have more confidence in yourself. How are you going to make Red Ranger if you're constantly moping around? Don't worry buddy, I'll be right by your side the whole way. By the end of training, we'll be the best rangers in the academy!"_

* * *

A smile graced Andros's lips as he thought back to that day. Zhane had been so confident that things would work out fine and he made him feel so self-reassured. If it weren't for Zhane, Andros would have never made it through that first day of training. More importantly, he would've never met Adia.

* * *

 _Andros walked down the hallway of the academy, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder as he made his way towards his temporary living quarters. His eyes scanned over the door plaques as he read over the numerals trying to find the right one._

" _Need some help?" a cheerful voice called out from behind him._

 _Andros turned around and froze in place when he spotted the owner of the voice. She had long strawberry blonde hair that was wavy, reaching down to her mid-back. Her eyes were a piercing emerald green that seemed to sparkle when the overhead fluorescent lights would strike them. Her skin was very pale, but it held a slight pink hue to it. The girl raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on her lips as she cocked her head to the side. Andros cleared his throat quickly before handing her a slip of paper with his room number on it._

" _I'm looking for my living quarters." He muttered quickly. "I think I might have taken a wrong turn."_

" _Yeah, I think you did." She said with a soft smile. "Living quarters are this way. Here, follow me."_

 _The girl grabbed Andros's hand quickly and led him in the opposite direction. Andros's heartbeat sped up as their hands made contact. Her skin was so smooth and he could smell the scent of wildflowers wafting around her._

" _My name is Adia by the way." She said, her cheerful smile growing brighter as she turned around and winked. "I'm from the southern colony. It's nice to meet you!"_

" _Likewise." Andros spoke, his voice wavering from nervousness. "My name's Andros. I'm from the eastern colony."_

" _Ah, so you must be a boy genius then?" she asked as she wiggled her eyebrows._

" _Somewhat." Andros said as a smile finally warmed his lips. "I was third in my class."_

" _So why abandon chances at being a medic or scientist to be a Power Ranger?"_

" _I've dreamt of being a Power Ranger since I was a kid. Just being able to help the people of our planet and becoming a role model for kids…that's something that I sort of aspire to, you know? What about you? Why leave the southern colony?"_

" _It shouldn't be too hard to guess." She said with a shrug as they rounded a corner. "I was tired of living in poverty and working in the fields all day long. Being a Power Ranger would be a dream come true for me. It's rare for someone of the southern colony to become a ranger. I want to prove to my people that we don't have to conform to the expectations of the entire colony, that southerners can be more than just farmers, you know?"_

 _Andros smiled. "Well, I hope your dream comes true."_

 _The two of them stopped just outside of Andros's designated living quarters as Adia released his hand and rested her own on his shoulder, giving it a gentle pat._

" _Yours too." She replied, sincerity in her voice._

* * *

Andros's eyes had begun filling with tears as the memories continued to pass through his head. He was pulled from his remorseful thoughts when his scanner began beeping. He sat up quickly, pulling the device from his utility belt before opening it. His eyes widened when he realized that a life force was detected near his childhood home. He jumped from his seat quickly and headed for the escape hatch just down the hall, pushing the trap door open above his head before coming out of HQ just behind the Capital building.

"Galaxy Glider, hang ten!" he shouted as he outstretched his hand towards the sky.

The Red Galaxy Glider appeared in five seconds flat, coming to an abrupt halt right in front of the Red Ranger. Andros leapt onto his vehicle before leaning forward and speeding towards the life force. Andros's head was racing with thoughts. His family home was located in a secluded part of the eastern sector deep within a forest of twisted branches. Andros's mother was originally from the southern colony and enjoyed the simplistic lifestyle that the sector offered, so she had begged her husband to build them their own home instead of living in a public housing system like the rest of the eastern colonists. There were very few people who knew where the house was, better yet how to locate it, which is what rose the Red Ranger's suspicion.

Aside from Zhane, no one had really been to visit his family home. So who else could locate it, unless…

"Karone?" Andros spoke his sister's name hopefully as a newfound sense of curiosity overcame him. The chances of the life force belonging to his sister were slim to none, but who else could the life force belong to?

* * *

Andros's face lit up when he spotted the forest secluding his family home. There was an eerie stillness to the area, the wind being the only sound aside from the engine of the Galaxy Glider. Andros came to a stop a few feet away from his home and hopped down from his glider before pulling out his scanner once more. The beeping had increased, detecting that the life force was somewhere nearby. Taking a deep breath, the Red Ranger began walking through the foliage towards his house.

"Karone?" he shouted as he looked around the forest. "Karone, it's Andros! Please, if you can hear me, please say something."

Andros was answered by silence once more as he pushed his way through the last of the bushes. His stomach tightened as a feeling of sorrow filled his mind. There, covered in an abundance of vines, stood his childhood home. The house was made out of wooden tree trunks that were formed into a rectangular prism just like most Karovian houses; but unlike the rest of the homes, it had a natural feel to it. Andros jogged up the front walk that was covered with leaves and debris before pushing the front door open. The inside of the house smelled like dust and old leaves. Most of the furniture had been overturned and many things were missing- his mother's favorite vase, the books on the bookshelf, and the family computer. Either his parents had taken a few items when the fled the colony or the house had been ransacked by survivors.

"Karone?" Andros shouted once more as he continued his trek through the house. He pushed the door to his old room open and found it to be just the way he left it when he had gone off to the Astro Academy. His bed was still made, the floor was still free of clutter, and the window was locked. He walked further into the house towards Karone's old room and sighed before pushing the door open. The room still looked as it did when they were children, being that Karone was never found. Their parents never bothered redecorating or moving anything, claiming they wanted everything to be the same if their daughter came home.

Andros was about to leave and head outside until he noticed that Karone's bedroom window was wide open and the bed wasn't made. He slowly walked over to the window and gasped when his device started beeping rapidly. Sticking his head out the window, Andros's eyes darted around the family compound, finally coming to rest on a figure running away from the property and into the forest.

"Wait!" he shouted before jumping out the window, landing on his feet before taking off after the person. "Karone, is that you? Please, wait!"

Andros ran for several minutes, but stopped when he could no longer see the mysterious figure.

"Andros, help me!" a female voice called out to him.

Andros's eyes widened as the words reached his ears. He broke off into a sprint as he headed towards the voice that began screaming. The woman sounded so fragile and frightened. Once he reached the location of the voice, he found himself standing in a forest clearing. He looked around in desperation, his heart beating loudly in his chest as he tried to find the voice.

"Looking for someone?" a voice came from behind him.

Andros screamed in pain as a laser struck him in the back, sending him rolling across the clearing where he slammed into a tree. He lifted his head slowly, confusion etched in his features; but the confusion disappeared and was replaced with seething anger when he spied Ecliptor walking out of the woods.

"My, my, aren't we dense?" Ecliptor spoke, his chest rumbling with laughter. "I honestly didn't think you'd take the bait, yet here you are Red Ranger, and alone no doubt. Where are your little earthling rangers?"

"That's none of your business." Andros snapped. "It was your life force my scanner detected and you knew I would come searching Ecliptor. Why did you bring me here?"

"To settle the score of course." Ecliptor said as he raised his hand up into the air and summoned his sword. "Last time we met, you had a little help from earth's finest. Well now, it's just you and me. It's like old times, don't you think?"

Andros stood to his feet, his nostrils flaring with anger. "I won't fight you."

"Now, I wouldn't be so sure about that. After all, don't you want to know how I was able to find your home? Better yet, wouldn't you like to know what happened to your sister?"

Andros gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What do you know? Tell me!"

Ecliptor aimed the tip of his sword towards the Red Ranger and smirked. "Fight me and maybe, just maybe I'll tell you."

Andros summoned his Spiral Saber and charged towards Ecliptor like a raging bull before winding his arm up and striking Ecliptor in the shoulder. The dark general laughed as he recovered from the attack before swinging back at Andros. The Red Ranger leaped away from Ecliptor's blade before coming back at him and swinging his saber once more. The blade of the saber and Ecliptor's sword met with such a force that both weapons sparked on contact, their hilts vibrating within their wielders' hands.

When Ecliptor's eyes began glowing Red, Andros jumped over his head doing an air flip, before running away from the ocular beams that were headed his way. The Red Ranger ran into the woods for cover, shielding his helmeted head from the debris of splinters and singed foliage falling all around him. When the blasts stop, Andros pulled his Astro Blaster from its holster before connecting it to his Spiral Saber to place it in booster mode. He then ran back towards Ecliptor and sent a huge blast his way.

Ecliptor was taken by surprise by the attack and his body was sent hurtling through the air before he slammed into the ground across the clearing. Andros recharged his weapon and aimed at Ecliptor once more, a battle cry tearing through his throat as he fired again; but Ecliptor was prepared for this attack and managed to use his sword to defend himself, knocking the blast away from him where it struck a group of trees.

"I have to say Red Ranger, I'm disappointed in you." Ecliptor said with a laugh. "You're making this all too easy."

"Shut up!" Andros roared as he charged towards Ecliptor, bulling his Astro Blaster and Spiral Saber apart to use them as separate weapons. Andros's fingers squeezed the trigger of his blaster, the lasers hitting Ecliptor spot on before he wound up and struck him twice using his saber. Ecliptor stumbled back, but took little damage from Andros's efforts. Using his sword, he struck Andros in the chest, smirking in delight as sparks spit off the ranger's suit leaving smoke in their wake. Andros hit the ground and Ecliptor's smirk only deepened as he removed his head, using it as a weapon.

Andros looked up from his place on the ground and gasped as Ecliptor's head began hovering through the air towards him, firing ocular beams at him. The beams were thick and hard to evade, so Andros was forced to take the hits head on. He crumpled to the ground, his head pounding in pain and his chest burning from Ecliptor's earlier attack to his torso. He cried out as Ecliptor stepped down on his chest, his head having been reattached.

"It's finally time for me to rid the universe of the annoyance known as the Red Astro Ranger. Tell your friends in the afterlife I said hello."

Andros grabbed hold of Ecliptor's leg as he tried to unpin himself, but the general proved to be too heavy to lift. Andros began thrashing beneath him as he desperately tried to free himself. Suddenly, Ecliptor was struck by several blasts, knocking him off the Red Ranger.

"Andros!" a voice appeared from overhead, causing both opponents to look up in the sky.

Andros growled angrily when he spied the Black Ranger approaching on his Galaxy Glider. Carlos landed swiftly in the center of the clearing, his Astro Blaster in his hands.

"You honestly think you can help him?" Ecliptor asked as he stood back to his feet. "I'd like to see you try."

"Carlos, get out of here now!" Andros shouted.

"No way Andros." Carlos said as he ran over to his friend to shield him from Ecliptor. "We're a team remember?"

"What a way to be noble." Ecliptor laughed. "Fine then. If you wish to die alongside your leader, I will gladly grant your wish."

Ecliptor suddenly vanished from sight, leaving both Carlos and Andros confused. Carlos stepped away from the injured Red Ranger, his Astro Blaster loaded and ready to fire when Ecliptor should appear again. That's when Andros saw it- a shift in the atmosphere right beside the Black Ranger.

"Carlos, look out!" he shouted.

Carlos looked to his right and gasped as Ecliptor appeared through a vortex, his sword charged with electricity. A scream tore through Andros's throat as Ecliptor brought the sword down onto the Black Ranger. Carlos cried out in pain as he slowly fell back, his suit smoking as he hit the ground.

"Carlos, no!" Andros shouted as he scrambled onto his feet and ran over to his friend. Carlos's suit suddenly disappeared revealing a bloodied and bruised Black Ranger, his eyes closed.

"You're next." Ecliptor said as he charged up his sword once more, but he was stopped by a barrage of blasts coming from the far left side of the clearing. Andros looked up and spied the other rangers approaching, Cassie running with her Satellite Stunner in hand.

"Five Power Rangers are definitely a crowd." Ecliptor said. "Till we meet again Red Ranger."

Ecliptor suddenly vanished, leaving the rangers alone. Andros quickly moved to Carlos assessing his injuries as he checked for a pulse.

"Oh my God, Carlos!" Ashley cried out when she spied their friend.

"We have to get him back to the Megaship now." Andros said through gritted teeth. "He needs immediate medical attention if he's going to make it."

TJ and Cassie nodded before slinging Carlos's limp arms over their shoulders and carrying him a safe distance away so they could teleport back to the Megaship. Andros stood frozen in place as he stared at Carlos's blood staining the grass. Ashley placed her hand on his back as she offered him a worried glance behind the visor of her helmet.

"Andros, what on earth were you thinking coming here by yourself? You could've been killed."

"I wasn't thinking." He admitted. "I just…when I received notification of a life force near my childhood home I…"

"You what?" Ashley asked as she sensed his hesitation to tell her the truth.

"I don't know. Let's go back to the Megaship."

Ashley was about to protest, but Andros was already on the move. With a heavy sigh, she headed after him.

* * *

The rangers stood vigil around Carlos's bed as Alpha finished hooking Carlos up to several monitors and machines. After ensuring that his IV was in check, the little robot headed out of the room, leaving the rangers alone.

"At least he's asleep now." Ashley said gratefully as she ran her fingers through Carlos's hair. "He's going to need all the rest he can get if he wants to recover properly."

"This is all my fault." Andros spoke, his voice heavy and defeated. "Ecliptor wanted me. Carlos should have never taken that hit for me. It should be me lying in that bed."

TJ and Ashley exchanged a worried glance before turning their attention back to their leader.

"Ecliptor saw you by yourself and took advantage of the situation." Ashley said as she tried to reassure him. "He would've attacked any one of us if we had been put in the situation."

"I should be lying there, not him."

Cassie offered him a sympathetic smile. "Andros, what affects one of us affects all of us."

Andros turned abruptly and headed out of the room, leaving the earthlings alone. Cassie sighed before turning her attention to TJ.

"He just doesn't get it." She said.

"Oh, he gets it." TJ said. "He just doesn't accept it, and who can blame him? The guy lost all of his teammates before and feels guilty that he wasn't able to save them. He's probably feeling the same sort of guilt now because Carlos took a hit for him. Remember, Andros is used to dealing with things on his own and accepting condolences and help from us probably isn't going to make it any easier on the guy. Let's just give him some space for a while, okay?"

"But what about the Phantom Ranger and Zordon's keycards?" Cassie asked. "Shouldn't we tell him?"

"Yeah, he deserves to know."

After ensuring that Carlos was resting comfortably, the rangers headed off towards the bridge; but when they arrived, they were shocked to see that Andros wasn't there. Ashley jogged out of the room towards the dining hall, returning a few seconds later shaking her head.

"D.E.C.A., where's Andros?" Cassie questioned their computer friend.

 **I was instructed not to inform you of his whereabouts.**

"No." Ashley said, her eyes widening in horror.

TJ ran over to the computer monitors and began pulling open a search screen. Sure enough, the Megaship's sensors detected two life force signals on the surface of KO-35.

"He went back?" Cassie said in disbelief.

"We have to move and fast." TJ said as he made a run for the jump tubes.

* * *

"Alright Ecliptor, I'm back!" Andros shouted as he walked down the main street of the Capital, his scanner revealing that Ecliptor had long since left the secluded forest of the Eastern Colony. "Show yourself!"

"Are you alone?" Ecliptor's voice echoed tauntingly through the streets around them. "Or have you grown so weak that you must rely on the help of others?"

Andros looked around the deserted streets as he tried to pinpoint Ecliptor's voice. "Why don't you come on out and I'll show you who's weak? Come on, where are you?"

Andros was answered by a large foot dropping from the sky, nearly crushing him; but he managed to roll out of the way. The Red Ranger gasped as he looked up and saw Ecliptor standing taller than the Capital Building. Obviously, he had used the Satellite Lasers of the Dark Fortress to make himself grow.

"What, too afraid to attack me at your normal size that you had to rely on a growth spurt to do the job?" Andros shouted as he summoned his Astro Blaster and began open firing, but his efforts were proven to be futile as Ecliptor leaned down and breathed a stream of fire through his mouth, singing the back of Andros's suit. The Red Ranger rolled across the ground as he put out the fire engulfing the back of his suit before rolling back onto his feet and firing at Ecliptor once more with his Astro Blaster. Realizing that the lasers had little to no effect on the giant, he summoned his Galaxy Glider before leaping onboard and combining his blaster with his Spiral Saber.

"Spiral Saber, Booster Mode!" he shouted as he unleashed a blast from his supercharged weapon. Ecliptor stumbled back just slightly, but the blast wasn't enough to take him down. With a laugh, Ecliptor swiped at Andros with his hand, knocking the Red Ranger off his board and sending him careening down to the ground where he thudded against the pavement.

Andros's head was spinning, a loud ringing going off in his ears as he struggled to recover from the attack. Just then, he heard the sound of a huge blast. He looked up and gasped at the sight of TJ, Cassie, and Ashley approaching on their Galaxy Gliders.

"All together now." He heard TJ command as he and the girls fired their power weapons, hitting Ecliptor with a large blast. They then hopped down from their gliders before running over to Andros.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked as she slung his arm around her shoulder.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We could be asking you the same question." Cassie said.

"You guys, we don't have time to argue." TJ said. "Right now, we have to get away from here and devise a plan."

"We can use the Megaship's lasers to defeat him. It's our only option at this point besides the Megazord, but we'd need Carlos in order to pilot it successfully." Andros said through gritted teeth as Ashley led him away from the square.

The Rangers gasped as Ecliptor fired another set of ocular beams, destroying a nearby building. Debris began raining on the rangers from above and they quickened their pace to avoid being caught up in it.

"Alright, this is far enough." Andros said before holding his communicator up to his mouth. "D.E.C.A., lock the Megaship's lasers on Ecliptor and fire at full power, now!"

 **Firing now. Mega lasers online.**

The rangers watched as several blue beams appeared through the clouds surrounding the planet before striking Ecliptor. The entire square was filled with smoke as the Megaship continued to attack. The rangers cheered in excitement as Ecliptor vanished from sight, leaving them alone in the debris littered streets.

"We did it!" Cassie exclaimed excitedly as she clapped her hands together. "I was certain that it wouldn't work."

"Hey, never underestimate the power of the Megaship." TJ said cheerfully.

"Andros, what's wrong?" Ashley asked suddenly, pulling TJ and Cassie out of their excitement. The Pink and Blue Rangers turned to their leader and could immediately sense the tension rolling off of him.

"It was all a trick." Andros spoke, his voice monotonic as he slid his Astro Blaster back into its holder.

Ashley noticed the damage he had received from Ecliptor and was immediately concerned. "You're hurt. We need to get you back to the Megaship to treat your injuries. Ecliptor retreated, we've won."

Andros hesitated for a moment, but the minute Ashley rested her hand on his shoulder, he felt at ease. He turned to her and even though he couldn't see her face, he knew that she was smiling behind her helmet. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his head.

"Yeah, let's get back to the ship."

* * *

Andros stood on one of the exercise machines in the gym, his eyes focused intently on the metal wall in front of him as he moved his legs from side to side. Sweat was dripping down his face and his loosened hair was sticking to his forehead as he exercised silently by himself. Alpha had given him the clear after his checkup in the infirmary. Ecliptor's attack had given him a few minor burns that would heal up easily within the next couple of days. Aside from that, the Red Ranger was physically fine. Mentally, he couldn't stop beating himself up for falling into Ecliptor's trap and nearly losing Carlos in the process. The way that Carlos had come to his rescue and took on a blast meant for him reminded Andros of a certain Silver Ranger that had done the same thing. Both Zhane and Carlos had put their lives on the line for him even when he felt undeserving of it. They didn't care what the outcome could have been. All that mattered to them was keeping him safe. Why him? He wasn't anyone important.

Andros was pulled from his thoughts when the sliding doors opened revealing Carlos fully dressed, a sling around his arm. He smiled at Andros in greeting, immediately letting the Red Ranger know there were no hard feelings between the two of them. Andros smiled back before stopping his workout routine and pulling a towel off a nearby rack using his telekinesis. Carlos smiled, still not used to the foreign practice of using telekinetic abilities before stepping into the room.

"How are you feeling?" Andros asked as he wiped the sweat off his face.

"Better." Carlos responded with a nod of his head. "Thankfully, this injury is just a sprain and it should heal up in no time. I'm a little sore, but that's to be expected. So I should be good as new by next week at the latest."

Andros nodded, his smile disappearing. "Carlos, I am really sorry about what happened to you back there. I should have never gone off alone and maybe then you wouldn't have gotten injured."

"Hey, no hard feelings Andros. Besides, I know that the only reason you went to KO-35 was to look for your sister."

Andros eyes widened as he slowly lowered the towel from his face and hung it over the handle of the exercise machine. "How did you know about that?"

Carlos shrugged. "It doesn't matter how I know."

Andros nodded. "Well, it doesn't matter anyways. Karone wasn't there, it was Ecliptor. He tricked me and I fell right into his trap. Now, I'm back to square one. I have no idea where she is or if she's even alive at all."

Carlos reached his good arm out and rested his hand on Andros's shoulders. "You should tell the others, you know? If you'd let us help you, we can all help you find your sister. That's what being a Power Ranger is all about you know, being a team?"

Andros hung his head as he thought over his previous actions. "I guess I've been a solo act for so long that I forgot what it's like to be a part of a team."

"You don't have to work alone anymore Andros. We're all here for you. You are a huge part of our team and we won't let you down. You're helping us to find Zordon so why can't we help you to find your sister?"

"Thank you Carlos." Andros said, a genuine smile on his face.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter! I hope you guys are pleased with the results. See you at the next update!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	8. Satellite Search

**A/N:** **Hey guys; I'm back with the next chapter. So I won't waste any time doing a recap. Let's get this show on the road!**

 **Casting:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Satellite Search"**_

It had been nearly two weeks since the rangers' venture to the Karova System and things seemed to be going rather well. Carlos had completely healed up from Ecliptor's attack and was finally able to take his sling off and Andros had even softened a little bit. The former Turbo Rangers were taking to their new duties as Astro Rangers quite well and had gotten up to speed with most of the Megaship's main functions. Andros too had started to learn a lot more about the blue planet of earth and some of the planet's customs. He particularly enjoyed eating the varieties of foods that were offered on the planet.

The rangers were currently positioned in the dining hall chowing away on a pepperoni and bacon pizza that Carlos had synthesized while discussing their latest task at hand- finding the Phantom Ranger.

"D.E.C.A. and I finished an intergalactic scan this morning and we weren't able to find a trace of the Phantom Ranger." Andros said as he pulled another pizza slice off the tray. "I guess it's time to start our search elsewhere."

"Yeah, but where do we even begin to look?" TJ asked as he finished his current slice. "The Phantom Ranger could be anywhere by now and we don't have Dimitria around this time to help us locate him."

Cassie was silent as she too wondered where the Phantom Ranger could have gone. If only she had a way of sending out a transmission, maybe then they would find him. After all, she was the closest to the rogue ranger out of the rest of her team. He wouldn't turn her down, right?

The rangers' meal was suddenly interrupted when alarms began blaring throughout the ship. Andros stood to his feet quickly before motioning to the others to follow him. Their pizza long forgotten, the rangers followed their leader to the bridge.

"D.E.C.A., what's going on?" Andros asked the computer as he headed for the monitors.

 **There is an incoming, encrypted transmission from the planet earth.**

"What does that mean exactly?" Ashley asked.

"It means it's top secret." Andros explained quickly as he walked back to the captain controls and pulled open a three-dimensional screen. The rangers crowded around their leader and were shocked when General Norquist's image appeared onscreen

 **Power Rangers, if you can hear me, NASADA needs your help. An exploration satellite has been attacked and has crashed onto a planet dubbed as Rhan. This is the last image that we received.**

The rangers watched intently as the general's image disappeared and was quickly replaced by a video image of a satellite being shot down by a set of flyer ships, a very familiar set at that.

"Astronema." Andros said knowingly, his fingers curling into a tight fist as he glared at the image.

 **The satellite has captured information that is valuable to the NASADA space program. Power Rangers, if you get this message, please try and retrieve the data disks contained within the satellite. It would mean that eight years of scientific study were not wasted. We currently have no spacecraft to make the journey ourselves. You're our only hope.**

The image of the satellite's destruction disappeared within an ocean of static and the rangers exchanged worried glances.

"Why would Astronema attack a satellite?" Cassie wondered aloud.

"Maybe the satellite saw something while it was exploring." Carlos suggested. "Something that she doesn't want anyone to see."

"Do you think it was Zordon?" Ashley asked hopefully, causing all of her friends to wonder the same thing.

"D.E.C.A., set a course for Rhan." Andros commanded as he moved to take a seat in his swivel chair. The other rangers moved quickly as they found their own seats and strapped themselves in. Andros quickly explained that they were going into Hyper Rush 3 mode and would arrive within the next solar system in approximately ten minutes.

* * *

"Come on you lazy bums, but your backs into it!" Elgar shouted as he watched a fleet of Quantrons moving around the surface of Rhan. "That satellite isn't gonna find itself you know."

The Quantrons muttered to themselves quietly as the used their weapons to cut down the foliage surrounding them. Elgar laughed before taking a seat on the edge of a cliff to do more supervising. He snapped his fingers and two Quantrons rushed over to him carrying a pitcher filled with juice and a tall glass.

"Thanks buddy. I was in need of a drink."

"Elgar!" Astronema's voice roared throughout the area suddenly, causing the pointy-headed monster to spit out his beverage. "How the hell do you think you're going to find that satellite if your busy sitting on your ass?"

"I'm sorry Astronema." He apologized quickly before tossing his glass aside. "It's just that it's so hot down here and I thought that I could just-"

"Silence you imbecile." Her voice boomed once more. "Listen, if you're going to continue working for me, I suggest you prove yourself worth enough to be my subject. The Dark Fortress's sensors just picked up on the Megaship's signal, meaning those blasted Power Rangers are on their way to Rhan. Now hurry the hell up and find that satellite _before_ they get there!"

"You've got it boss lady." He shouted before jogging down the cliff edge to join in the search.

* * *

"We should be arriving at Rhan in minus three minutes." Andros announced as he stared straight ahead. The stars and nearby planets were whizzing past the Megaship at an alarming rate due to their current travel speed. At this rate, they would reach the planet in no time.

"Guys, I'm picking up something with my sensors." Ashley spoke suddenly as she pushed a few buttons to pull open a visual. "It looks like we have a group of Velocifighters on our tail. Three of them."

"Shields to full power." Andros instructed as Carlos pulled up the Megaship's defense systems. "Cassie arm the Mega Lasers."

"Mega Lasers, online." Cassie said as she quickly activated her controlled function.

Before Andros could give the command to fire, the Megaship was struck by the Velocifighter's lasers, causing the ship to jolt violently. Ashley wrapped her hands around the edge of the control panel to steady herself as she looked towards the viewing screen. Carlos had managed to pull up a visual of their attackers and they appeared to have heavy-duty blasters on their sides.

"Looks like Astronema gave her troops' ships an upgrade." She commented before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"They still won't be a match for us." Andros said with a smirk. "TJ, make a U-turn. It's time to give these punks a taste of their own medicine."

The Megaship was struck another time by an onslaught of lasers, but the rangers held on as TJ guided the Megaship around quickly and brought it to an abrupt stop. The Velocifighters were speeding towards the rangers at an alarming speed, but Andros knew they were currently at an advantage.

"Mega Lasers, fire!" he shouted as he leaned forward in anticipation.

Cassie slammed her hand down on the laser controls and the rangers watched as the Megaship blasted two blue lasers at one of the Velocifighters. The ship exploded on impact and the rangers cheered as TJ maneuvered the ship towards the remaining two. Cassie waited for the perfect opportunity to fire and gasped as one of the Velocifighters flew over the nose of the ship and over its top. Carlos looked up towards the ceiling as the sound of the enemy's engine could be heard. Ignoring the escapee, Cassie turned her attention to the Velocifighter that had begun to open fire on the Megaship. The ship gave another violent jolt, but Cassie held her ground before firing once more. The ship disappeared just as quickly as the first one.

"There's one left." Ashley said, a smile on her face as the others cheered behind her.

"Fire!" Andros commanded once more.

TJ pulled the steering gears to the right forcefully and the Megaship made an abrupt turn. As soon as Cassie spied the third ship, she fired once again and smirked as it disappeared in a burst of flames.

"Now that's what I call teamwork." Carlos said, a beaming smile on his face. Andros spared a glance at the Black Ranger and nodded before smiling gratefully.

"Rangers, we've reached the planet Rhan." Alpha announced as he switched the viewing screen so the rangers could read over the data he had collected. "There is oxygen on the planet and the temperatures range between ninety and one-hundred twenty degrees. There is very little water and a small amount of plant life on the planet. The planet is mostly a vast desert land."

"I wonder what it looks like?" Ashley said as she stared at the image of the purple and orange planet on the viewing screen.

"Well, let's go and find out." Andros said as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

Andros stood from his seat and headed towards the dining hall while the others followed close behind.

"We have to find that satellite before Astronema and her men do." He spoke as they made their way towards the jump tubes.

"Right." The others agreed as they walked up the platform steps and towards their respective tubes. The rangers wasted no time jumping in before being shot down to the planet's surface.

* * *

The planet Rhan was definitely a desert just as Alpha had described. There was an orange-hue sand and plateaus that stretched on as far as the eye could see, an occasional bush and brambles littering the dusty surface. There were two suns that could be seen in the blue-green sky overhead and the heat was intense.

Andros ignored the heat beating down upon him and the other rangers and quickly found a hair tie to pull his hair back into a ponytail. He squinted and covered his eyes slightly to protect them from the overbearing sun. The other rangers marched beside him as they did their best to ignore the heat.

"TJ, Carlos, let me see the scanners." Andros said as he held his hands out.

"Be my guest." TJ said as he and Carlos handed them over. "We haven't been able to get the darn things to work since we got here."

Andros twisted the devices back and forth within his hands as he looked them over. He had been sure to charge their batteries the day before and their systems checked out fine as well. He stopped walking and popped open the back panel of one of the scanners. He frowned when a small amount of smoke began pouring out of the opened hatch.

"We aren't going to get them to work in this heat." He realized.

Carlos wiped the sweat from his brow before looking up at the two suns blazing in the sky. "We're literally walking in an oven."

"Be sure to stay hydrated." Andros reminded him. "There's a collapsible capsule in your jacket. It's a water canteen."

The others exchanged a glance before pulling their jackets open and reaching into their inner pockets to pull out the small capsules that matched their ranger colors. Carlos examined his for a moment and smiled when he spied a small button. The capsule quickly expanded into a full-sized water bottle, filling the Black Ranger with a sense of relief. He unscrewed the cap quickly and chugged down half the bottle before sighing.

"Man that hit the spot."

"Save some for later Carlos." Ashley giggled.

The rangers were interrupted when their morphers started beeping. Andros lifted his morpher up to his mouth to answer the transmission, but all he could hear was static.

"Don't tell me our morphers are affected by the heat too." Cassie groaned.

"Let me try." Carlos said as he hit his communication button.

 **Rangers…emergency…Rhan…active…explosion…any minute…Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi!**

"Alpha?" Carlos said with a raised eyebrow as he tried to contact their robotic friend once more. "Hey Alpha, come in."

 **Rangers…volcano!**

"Did he say volcano?" Ashley asked as an uneasy feeling filled the pit of her stomach.

The ground suddenly shook violently, nearly knocking the rangers off their feet. The rumbling continued for several seconds before coming to an abrupt halt. Concerned, the rangers ran in the direction the quakes came from and were shocked to see a volcano off in the distance, lava streaming down its sides and smoke billowing up into the air.

"We need to find that satellite and fast." TJ realized. "That thing looks like it could blow any second."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Power Rangers." A raspy voice came from behind them. The rangers spun around quickly and saw Elgar walking towards them with a fleet of Quantrons behind him.

"Where's the satellite Elgar?" Andros asked as he and the others raised their hands in defense.

"Like I'd tell you morons. Get them!"

The Quantrons ran at the command and the rangers quickly split up to take them on while Elgar laughed and moved to watch from the sidelines.

Cassie ran towards a group of Quantrons and blocked their oncoming swings with her forearms before swinging her right leg out into a fan kick. Two of the Quantrons managed to catch her leg mid-swing and twisted it painfully before tossing her a few feet away. Cassie groaned as she skidded across the dirt-covered ground before sitting up slowly to face her attackers. Ignoring the pain in her leg, she stood to her feet and broke into a sprint, tackling her two assailants from earlier to the ground. Another two ran up behind her, prepare to take her by surprise, but Cassie could hear them coming and kicked them using her good leg. She smirked as they disappeared before finishing off the two she'd tackled.

Ashley did a back handspring as she tried to avoid three Quantrons on her tail. She then met up with TJ and the two of them worked together to take on a group of seven. TJ handled his opponents pretty easily and moved to kick away the remaining two that were after Ashley. She thanked him with a gracious smile before the two of them headed off to help take down the rest of the fleet.

Carlos and Andros were being overrun by an even larger group than TJ and Ashley's, but the two of them were managing quite well. The heat bearing down upon them grew more and more intense, forcing Carlos to remove his Astro Jacket and use it as a weapon. He laughed as he whipped a Quantron in the face before tossing the coat over his eyes, blinding him. He then ran and leaped into the air for an aerial kick, forcing the Quantron to retreat. Picking his abandoned jacked back up, he whipped it towards another Quantron before doing away with him as well. Meanwhile, Andros was involved in hand-to-hand combat with a group of two and hadn't even broken a sweat yet. He smirked as he dealt a finishing blow, causing his opponents to retreat.

The rangers regrouped, having finished off their opponents and cheered excitedly over their victory. However, their excitement was short lived as the ground started shaking once more. A loud growl could be heard off in the distance and Elgar began to scream.

"Whoa, that thing sounds hungry. I don't want to stick around for lunch. See ya rangers!"

"Elgar, get back here!" Andros shouted as the pointy-headed villain made a run for it. The ground shook once more and the rangers leaned on each other for support.

"He's getting away." Carlos said as he pointed towards Elgar's retreating form.

"Well, at least we know he hasn't found the satellite yet." TJ said trying to remain optimistic.

The ground continued to tremble and the growl the rangers heard earlier increased in volume. Cassie's eyes widened with horror as she looked around for the source.

"That doesn't sound like a volcano." She said.

"Something's alive out here other than us." Carlos said as he too began to feel fear in the pit of his stomach.

"Let's not wait around and find out." Andros said. "Come on, we have a satellite to find."

* * *

Elgar continued to run away from the unknown creature, his stubby legs moving as fast as they could manage as he shielded his head. Whatever that creature was, it didn't sound friendly.

"How do I always get myself into these messes?" He wondered as he rounded the corner of a large rock formation. "I lost all my foot soldiers and now, some crazy creature is out for me. Oh well, at least I got away."

"Elgar, what do you think you're doing?" Astronema's voice boomed, causing Elgar to jump in surprise. His eyes widened with horror when he realized that Astronema was standing before him with ten Quantrons by her side. So, she had come down to the planet after all?

"Oh, Astronema! How lovely it is to see you." He mumbled quickly.

"Cut the formalities Elgar." She snapped as her lips curled into a snarl. "The rangers are still here looking for the satellite that _you_ haven't managed to find yet. If they get to it first, my plans will be ruined. Get your ass back out there and find that satellite or I'll feed you to the guardian of this planet for lunch. Believe me, it will be a pleasure for both him and me."

"Right away Astronema." He stammered as he motioned towards the Quantrons. "Come on you guys, we have a search to resume."

"Don't fail me Elgar. Your life depends on it."

Astronema watched as Elgar ran off with her Quantrons before turning to climb up the wall of the rock formation. She concentrated on her hand and footwork to avoid losing her balance and falling down and in a matter of minutes, she successfully made it to the top. Summoning her staff, she walked across the leveled top of the formation before glaring out over the horizon where she could make out five figures walking in the distance. She smirked as she watched them go.

"Try as you must rangers. You will never reach the satellite in time."

* * *

The rangers carefully walked around the ledge of a cliff as the continued to make their way across the planet. TJ growled in frustration as he tried to get his scanner to work, but the screen simply went black, leaving him in even more of mood.

"This thing's useless here." He said.

"Come in D.E.C.A." Andros spoke into his communicator. He waited for a few seconds, but received no response. "Hello, D.E.C.A., Alpha? Come in Megaship."

"We are completely on our own." Cassie realized as she scratched the back of her head. "How are we supposed to know which direction to go in?"

Andros shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked up towards the sky. He smiled when he spied smoke billowing up into the air. It looked like it was a few miles away.

"You guys, look." He said as he motioned towards the stream of white smoke flowing up into the air.

"Let's go." Carlos said as he took of jogging. The others followed after him, but Ashley paused as something caught her eye. She slowly made her way off the trail she and the others had been on and carefully made her way down a rocky slope. She nearly fell and lost her balance, but she regained her footing and sighed in relief once her feet reached flattened ground.

Now that she was close enough to see what the large object was, she gasped. It was the skeleton of some foreign creature that had small legs, a long torso, and a small head. It was nearly the size of Ashley's house.

"Gross." She said as a feeling of uneasiness crawled over her skin. She shivered in disgust before slowly making her way around the skeleton, observing its structure as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. Just then, something metallic caught her eye. She reached for the object and picked up, a smile spreading across her face as she recognized the NASADA symbol on its surface.

"You guys, I found something!" She exclaimed. The others who were a little ways away heard her call and turned around quickly, gathering around her as she showed them the piece of scrap metal. "I think it's a piece from the satellite."

Andros took the piece of scrap metal from her hands and observed it closely, a smile spreading across his face. "It is a piece of the satellite. We must be close."

"Then where's that smoke coming from?" Cassie wondered as she pointed back towards the smoke they had originally been following.

"Maybe it's another volcano?" Carlos suggested. "Look, let's search this area a little more for clues and if we can't find any, we'll head back towards the smoke."

All in agreement, the rangers headed east of where they were initially travelling, looking around for any other clues leading to the satellite. Ashley paused again when she heard a static sound. She took off running, prompting the others to follow. She cheered excitedly when she spied the satellite wreckage just behind a large mountainous structure.

"You guys, over here." She said as she motioned for them to follow. The others caught up to her quickly and rounded the structure to see the smoking wreckage.

Carlos and Andros ran over to the satellite, running their hands along its surface to find some sort of control panel or access hatch. Ashley grinned when she spied a keypad. She pressed the enter button and bit her bottom lip as she waited for something to happen. Slowly an access hatch opened right beside Andros, revealing four silver disks. Andros carefully removed each of them and frowned as he realized the last disc was disfigured.

The ground began shaking once more, a little more violently than the last quake, and the ferocious growl of the unknown creature seemed closer than ever.

"Let's get out of here." Andros said as he took off running, but before the others could follow, a voice called out behind them.

"My, my, aren't we in a hurry."

The rangers paused their retreat and turned around slowly to find Astronema standing a few steps away from the satellite wearing her trademark cat suit. The rangers made a mental note that their enemy was sporting white curls beneath her headband instead of the purple locks they had grown accustomed to seeing. Slowly, Astronema strutted towards them, her hips swaying with each step as she smiled devilishly.

"Astronema." Andros growled.

As soon as he spoke her name, a group of Quantrons materialized behind her, her evil smile widening.

"Hand over the memory disks and I may just let you walk away from here alive." She said as she held her hand out.

Andros looked at the disks in his hand before looking back at her, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "You aren't getting them Astronema."

"Then you leave me no choice but to take them by force. Elgar!"

Elgar suddenly appeared alongside Astronema laughing wildly as he swung his sword about. Andros realized that this battle wouldn't be as simple as the last.

"Let's Rock It!"

The others nodded before flipping their morphers open and punching in their codes. Once their morphing sequence was completed, they divided themselves and ran towards the Quantrons.

TJ ran towards two Quantrons and leaped into the air, kicking them both in the chest before landing on the ground and taking both of them by their arms. He then flipped both Quantrons over and onto their backs. Ashley sent two punches towards one Quantron before turning sideways and kicking another in the throat. She dropped into the splits as another Quantron swung at her with its blade before bringing her legs in and wrapping her feet around the legs of her attacker, tripping him. She then jumped back to her feet to take on another two soldiers. Cassie whipped out her satellite stunner and open fired on a group of four, laughing to herself as she realized how easy they were to defeat. Hearing a group running up behind her, she reached her before firing once more. Andros and Carlos were fighting side-by-side once more, using the Spiral Saber and Astro Lance to team up on a group attacking them. Carlos knocked a group of four off their feet while Andros followed up the attack, slashing all four of the Quantrons in one sweep using his power weapon.

"You rangers aren't gonna win!" Elgar shouted as he began swinging his sword towards Ashley. The Yellow Ranger ducked away from both swings before elbowing Elgar in the gut, smirking with satisfaction as he let out a winded noise and doubled over in pain. She then stomped down hard on his back, watching in satisfaction as he face planted into the dirt.

"Elgar you idiot, get up!" Astronema roared as her fingers curled tightly around her staff as she watched her henchman getting pummeled by the Yellow Ranger. Elgar did his best to stand back up, but TJ had come to assist Ashley and managed to knock him back down.

With an angry growl, Astronema ran towards the Yellow and Blue Rangers, knocking them away from Elgar using her staff. TJ moved to help Ashley up, both of them surprised that the evil matriarch had actually joined in the battle.

"I guess if I want something done right, I have to do it myself." She roared before charging up her staff and blasting TJ and Ashley. The rangers screamed in pain, the attack feeling like a fire crawling across their skin as they fell to the ground. Astronema then turned around and fired at Cassie, causing her to fall as well.

Hearing his teammates' cries, Andros turned his attention away from his battle with the Quantrons and ran to assist them, ducking as Astronema sent a blast his way; but before he could attack her, two Quantrons grabbed him from behind, tossing him away from their princess. Andros stood to his feet quickly and swung at the Quantrons using his spiral saber, but these Quantrons proved to be smarter than his last opponents and used their weapons to fend off the saber.

Meanwhile, Cassie had managed to recover from Astronema's attack and ran up behind her as she was busy firing at TJ and Ashley once more. She jumped at her from behind, wrapping her arms around her neck to try and choke her out, but Astronema wasn't going down that easy. She thrashed in the Pink Ranger's grip and managed to separate herself just enough to elbow Cassie in the stomach. Cassie released her hold on Astronema and screamed as she was slashed with the diamond end of Astronema's staff. The Pink Ranger rolled across the ground, dirt catching on her suit as she groaned in pain.

Suddenly, the sound of something metal clanked as it hit the ground. Cassie squinted through her visor and saw a small pendant on a unique chain resting on the ground right in front of her. The dark princess gasped, a hand flying to her neck as she looked towards the abandoned object. She rushed over quickly, kicking Cassie in the stomach as she snatched the item up and brushed the dirt off its surface.

"Nobody touches this." She snapped as she slid it back over her head. The dark princess then gave the Pink Ranger a murderous glare.

Before Cassie could make sense of what was happening, two Quantrons scooped her up, restraining both of her arms and bringing her towards Astronema. Cassie struggled within their grip and gasped when she realized that Carlos, TJ, and Ashley had been captured as well. The Quantrons lined the rangers up in a horizontal line and Astronema unleashed a powerful blast from her staff. An explosion erupted behind the rangers, dust spewing up into the air as they were sent flying across the clearing.

"Astronema!" Andros roared as he ran to aid his friends. Before the Red Ranger could reach her, Astronema turned towards him and sent a blast his way as well. Andros was sent soaring through the air before he landed with a thud right beside his injured friends.

The disks from the satellite clattered to the ground right in front of the Red Ranger. He looked up and hissed in pain as Astronema walked towards him and snatched the disks.

"I should finish you off." She said as she glared at him. "But I have more important matters to tend to at the moment. You've failed again to stop me Red Ranger. Elgar, tie them up!"

"Right away Astronema."

Andros's vision grew blurry as the weight of his injuries finally settled in. The last thing he remembered before blacking out was the sound of his teammates struggling as the Quantrons restrained his arms and legs.

* * *

Andros opened his eyes weakly, his head spinning with nausea. He felt as though he were sitting in an oven as heat swam all around his body. His vision came into focus and he can see the two suns of Rhan blazing brightly overhead. He was lying on his back he realized and when he noticed he couldn't move his arms and legs, he realized that he was being restrained by chains.

Andros looked to his right and saw Ashley still in her ranger suit as she struggled to free herself from her chains. He looked to his left and saw Cassie doing the same. He then looked forward as the sound of Elgar's laughter reached his ears.

Elgar and Astronema slowly approached the restrained rangers, smirks on their faces as they admired their handiwork.

"You're going to regret this Astronema." Andros snapped as she dug the end of her staff into the ground, her hip sticking out to the side.

"Oh really, am I?" she said, a look of amusement on her face. "Face it Red Ranger, this is all your own doing. If you had simply abandoned your plans to look for the satellite, you wouldn't be lying there right now, would you? It's not my fault that you can't hold your own."

"What are you going to do to us?" Carlos asked as he tried to ignore the heat bearing down on him and his teammates.

"I could destroy you now, but I don't feel like dirtying my hands any more than I already have. So instead, I'm going to leave you here and let Claw Hammer eat you for lunch."

"Claw…Hammer…?" TJ repeated slowly as a bad feeling filled the pit of his stomach.

"The guardian of Rhan." She said with a wicked smile. "Time to go boys."

The rangers began to struggle against their chains as Astronema turned to leave with Elgar and the Quantrons in tow. Andros gasped when he spied the stolen disks fall from Astronema's waistband as she and the others disappeared in a flash of light.

"She dropped the disks." He told the others. "We have to get out of these chains."

The ground suddenly began shaking as the sound of loud footsteps could be heard all around them. The rangers began to struggle harder against their restraints as the hideous creature known as Claw Hammer appeared off in the distance. The creature looked similar to a giant crawdad with pink and orange skin and extra feelers. There was saliva streaming out of its mouth, its tongue hanging lazily to the side, as it eyed its latest meals.

"You guys hurry!" Ashley shrieked, finally losing her cool. She had always pictured herself dying old and happy within the comfort of her own home, not on a desert planet inside the stomach of a disgusting crawdad.

"It's getting closer!" Cassie shouted.

Just then, the sound of an approaching engine could be heard overhead. The rangers looked up in shock as the Astro Megazord dropped in from the sky, its shield up and its sword aimed right at Claw Hammer.

"The Megazord." TJ said in awe.

"But how?" Cassie asked. "We aren't inside to pilot it."

"It must be Alpha." Andros realized.

The Megazord and Claw Hammer began to circle one another, the ground trembling beneath their feet. Claw Hammer was the first to attack, summoning a red ball of electricity that was shaped like a giant boomerang. The creature tossed the attack towards the Megazord, but it was caught by the Megazord's sword. The Zord swung the boomerang around four times before tossing it back towards Claw Hammer, getting a direct hit. The Megazord was quick to make its next move striking Claw Hammer in the shoulder and upper torso with its blade; but before it could hit the creature's other arm, Claw Hammer caught the blade using his left arm. Claw Hammer struck the Astro Megazord twice, its clawed hands slicing through the upper torso of the ship, leaving a nasty metallic gash on the "M." The Megazord raised its arms quickly to catch Claw Hammers in the middle of his next attack. The two of them then began to push against one another trying to gain dominance. Unable to get free, Claw Hammer slammed his pointed head against the Megazord's chest twice, causing sparks to fly off the robot. He then swiped at the Zord with both of his claws at once, sending the Megazord toppling over the edge of a nearby cliff. The rangers watched in horror as the Megazord disappeared from their sight, the ground shaking as it slammed into the bottom of the pit.

"We have to break free of these chains and help Alpha." Andros said as he wracked his brain for any ideas. Suddenly, he spotted his Astro Blaster lying in front of his feet. It must have come loose from its holster when Elgar was tying him up. "You guys, I have an idea."

"What?" Ashley asked as she turned to look at him. She watched as Andros aimed his fingers at the abandoned blaster as he used his telekinetic abilities to lift it off the ground and into his hand.

"Got it!" he exclaimed. "Hang on Alpha, we're coming."

Andros shot the chains off his arms and legs before hurrying to shoot the others restraints. While the others dusted the debris off their suits, Andros snatched up the satellite disks before they all ran towards the Megazord.

"Ready guys?" Andros shouted.

"Teleportation now!" the others shouted as they all disappeared in flashes of light.

* * *

The rangers were relieved when they found themselves standing within the docking bay. Andros motioned for them to follow after him as they made their way into the cockpit of the Astro Megazord Shuttle. Once they strapped themselves in, the rangers quickly got to work getting out of the pit.

"Thrusters, full power." Andros commanded.

The Megazord began to shake as its thrusters kicked in and it flew up into the air and out of the cliff.

 **Rangers, is it really you? Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi!**

The rangers laughed as Alpha's voice flooded into the cockpit.

"Yes Alpha, we're back." Andros said. "Thanks for holding him off long enough for us to get free. Now it's our turn."

"Let's see what this guy is made of." TJ said as he wrapped his hands around his controls.

The Megazord ran towards Claw Hammer and sent three kicks to its shin before kicking him another time in the stomach. As the creature leaned forward in pain, the Megazord wrapped its hands around the creature's antennas, giving them a hard pull. Claw Hammer screamed in protest as he tried to free himself, but the Zord wouldn't let go. Finally, both antennas snapped and Claw Hammer howled loudly in agony. As it fell to the ground, the Megazord picked the creature up and held it over its head.

"Time to take flight." Andros said as he activated the thrusters once more.

The Megazord lifted off the ground and headed straight towards Rhan's active volcano while Claw Hammer squirmed in its grip. Once the Zord reached the volcano mouth, it tossed the crustacean into the pit of boiling lava, ending its terror once and for all.

* * *

 **Thank you rangers for all of your help. Thanks to you, NASADA was able to recover eight years of valuable research. I only wish that our data could have been of greater use to you and your mission.**

"It's alright general." Andros spoke from behind his Red Ranger helmet. "The information may not have been helpful to us, but it will do wonders for you and your crew. Please, if you ever need our help again, don't hesitate to contact us."

 **I won't. Have a safe journey.**

General Norquist's transmission came to an end and the rangers powered down quickly. Carlos took a deep breath before collapsing in one of the swivel chairs.

"Man, this air conditioning feels great." He sighed. "I'm never taking it for granted ever again."

"I know what you mean." Cassie said as she removed her Astro Jacket. "It had to have been one-hundred and thirty degrees on Rhan. If it had been just a degree hotter, Astronema wouldn't have had to worry about finishing me off. The heat would've gotten the job done just fine."

"Anyways, where do we start searching next?" TJ asked. "The information the NASADA satellite collected didn't have any clue on Zordon's location."

"It might have." Ashley said as she held up the damaged disk. "Why else would Astronema have been after the satellite? She knew that it caught Dark Specter's minions in the act. Obviously, that information was on this disk. If only it hadn't have been destroyed…"

"So basically, Astronema won this battle." Carlos groaned.

"She may have won _this_ battle, but she hasn't won _the_ battle." Andros said with a smile.

"Whoa, our uptight leader is being optimistic." Carlos said jokingly, causing the others to laugh.

"I say this causes for a celebration." TJ said as he patted Andros on the back. "I vote we take a quick vacation on the simudeck."

"Somewhere cold I hope." Ashley said as a hopeful smile spread across her face.

"In that case, I vote we go snowboarding in the snow-covered mountains of Switzerland." TJ said with a playful grin.

"Snowboarding?" Andros asked with a raised eyebrow as Ashley set the damaged disk down.

"You're gonna love it." Ashley said as she took his hand and tugged him towards the elevator. "Trust me, if you can ride and do tricks on a Galaxy Glider, you're going to be a professional snowboarder in no time."

Andros smiled at the thought as the others joined them on the elevator. As the doors slid closed Alpha walked over to pick up the damaged disk Ashley left behind.

"Were we close to finding you Zordon? I wonder…I wonder…"

* * *

 **A/N:** **And there you have it folks. If you saw the episode "Satellite Search" of** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **, then this chapter may not be of much interest to you; but I enjoyed writing my take on the episode anyways. This story will feature episodes from the show, otherwise it wouldn't be** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **lol**

 **Anyways, that's all for this update. So leave me a review, and I'll get back to you really soon. See you next time!**


	9. When Push Comes To Shove

**A/N:** **Hey guys, I'm back with the next update. Thanks to the few of you who have been leaving reviews. Reviews encourage me to keep going on with a story and they also let me know if the direction I'm going in is working. So thanks again to those of you who have left commentary. Now, on with the next chapter/episode :D**

 **Casting:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **When Push Comes to Shove"**_

Mrs. Johnson stood at her kitchen sink humming softly to herself as she washed dishes. The sounds of the television set in the living room could be heard in the background along with the engines of the occasional passing car. She smiled as she rinsed off a platter from last night's dinner and set it on the drying rack before moving to grab another plate.

The sound of a bedroom door closing upstairs reached her ears and she turned to the doorway as her husband walked into the kitchen fumbling with a red necktie. She smiled before moving to help him even the tie out and securing it in a tight knot. He kissed her on her forehead lovingly before heading over to the table where breakfast was waiting.

"Where's TJ?" he asked as he tucked a napkin into his dress shirt and began scooping scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"He's sleeping in." she said as she moved back over to the sink. "He and his friend got in rather late last night after all. They need all the rest they can get."

"When is he supposed to be leaving again?"

"I think he said two days. It's not a long visit, but he's been gone for a whole month. I'll take what I can get."

"You'd think those instructors of his would give him a longer vacation home." Mr. Johnson grumbled before taking a bite of his meal.

"I know honey, but it is a special learning program for advanced students. Studying is practically the only thing they do. Try not to let it bother you so much."

* * *

TJ cracked his eyes open and flinched as the sunlight came into view. He rolled over to face the wall before pressing the palm of his hands to his eyes to relieve them of the pain. He then opened his eyes slowly and let them adjust on their own before sliding out of bed and heading down the hall. He could hear someone moving around in the bathroom and raised an eyebrow before the door swung open revealing Andros fully dressed in one of his old outfits from his time as Red Turbo Ranger.

"Andros, it's our day off." TJ said with a smile. "You could've slept in, you know?"

Andros shrugged before heading down the hall to the guestroom. "I'm an earlier riser I guess."

TJ followed after his new friend and leaned against the doorframe as he watched Andros pull a scanner out of the duffle bag he'd brought from the Megaship. He flipped it open and read over the information being displayed before closing it and tossing it back in the bag.

"All is quiet for now." He said with a shrug. "Although I really wish we were out chasing after Astronema."

"Hey, I know this break wasn't your idea, but the others and I were really starting to get a little homesick. It has been a month after all and we still haven't found any leads on Zordon. If that disk hadn't been destroyed in the satellite explosion, we may have a clear lead on his whereabouts; but we have nothing. We might as well take a break for a few days and then, get right back at it."

"I know. So, what's on the agenda for the day?"

"I was going to head to the batting cages with a few buddies of mine from school. Carlos is meeting up with the former Green Turbo Ranger Adam for a soccer match. If you don't want to hang with us, I'm sure you can hang with the girls. They shouldn't be doing anything too important."

"I guess I'll get in touch with Ashley then." Andros said as he pulled his sleeve up to reveal his communicator.

"Actually, I have a better idea." TJ said quickly as he placed his hand over the communicator. "Let's check and make sure Ash isn't at home before we use the communicators."

"How?" Andros asked, curiosity overcoming him as TJ led him over to his brother's personal landline in the corner.

"This is a telephone." TJ explained as he lifted the phone off the receiver, the coiled chord stretching as he handed it to Andros. "It's sort of like a communicator, but you can communicate with anyone in the world who has a phone, not just a fellow ranger. These numbers here are sort of like the keypad on our morphers. When you want to contact someone, you have to dial seven digits that correspond to their phone. To reach Ashley, you dial 735-5683."

Andros listened to TJ's explanation intently. A telephone was just one of the many new things that TJ and his friends had introduced him to; and no matter how many new objects he learned about, he was still fascinated all in the same. Reaching out his index finger hesitantly, Andros dialed the seven numbers TJ told him. When a weird ringing sound reached his ear he raised an eyebrow.

"What's that weird sound?" Andros asked.

TJ couldn't help but to chuckle at Andros's innocence. "It's the dial tone. It's the sound a phone makes when it's trying to connect you to the other person's phone."

" **Hello?"** Ashley's voice floated through the speaker.

Andros's face lit up at the sound of her voice. "Hey TJ, it worked. I can hear her!"

" **Andros, is that you? What's going on?"**

"TJ and Carlos are going to be busy today and I really don't have anything else to do. So I was wondering if you wanted to hang out or something."

" **Oh, sure Andros. That sounds like fun! Let me throw some clothes on and I can meet you at TJ's in twenty minutes. Sound good?"**

"Yeah, see you then." Andros said with a smile before looking at TJ. "She stopped talking. Now what?"

"Hang the phone back on the receiver." TJ stated simply as he motioned towards the object.

Andros nodded before setting the phone back on the hook and smiling. "It takes a lot longer to use than a communicator, but I see why it's such a conventional item."

"Congratulations Andros. You officially know how to use the telephone."

* * *

Cassie smiled to herself as she rubbed an Elmer's glue stick over the backside of a Polaroid before sticking it on an empty page of her diary. She smiled at the image of her and Ashley that had been taken a few weeks before the Power Chamber exploded. Since the rangers' new adventure up into space, the new Pink Ranger hadn't had time to take a new photograph; so she was settling for an old one. Just as she picked up her pink gel pen to finish writing her diary entry, Adele walked over to her with a pitcher of water. Cassie slammed the hard-covered diary shut before sliding it under the table top, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"What's the big secret?" Adele asked with a smile as she filled Cassie's half-emptied glass.

"No secret, just my diary." Cassie said with embarrassment.

"A diary?" Adele said, surprised by Cassie's confession as she took a seat. "Child, you are just too charming for words. I used to have a diary when I was younger. Every night, I would hide under my covers and right down everything; and child, I do mean _everything_ \- what I ate for breakfast, what outfit I wore to school, how much I hated this boy name Ed who would throw crumpled up notebook paper at the back of my head. I think he had a crush on me, but I was not the least bit interested."

Cassie giggled. "Your diary sort of sounds like mine. So, I take it you don't keep one anymore?"

"Nope. I stopped writing when I was a junior in high school. My little brother found it under my pillow and used it to torture me. I was his slave for almost a month thanks to the dirty details on page thirty-seven. He may have had me back then, but I eventually paid him back ten-fold. You know that saying: _some people's laundry is dirtier than others?_ "

Cassie giggled, her pigtails bouncing about with her shoulders as Adele stood up.

"Well honey, I'd better get back to work. The lunch rush will be here before you know it."

Cassie watched Adele's retreating form before looking down at her wristwatch. She gasped when she realized it was almost eleven. Quickly downing the rest of her water, she stood to her feet and began shoving her sprawled out items into her purse before racing out of the Surf Spot to meet her parents for lunch.

* * *

Professor Phenomenous smiled to himself as he checked his reflection in his rearview mirror. There was a crowd of people waiting just outside and he had a presentation to give. He may be a little crazy, but he was one of the most respected scientists within the Angel Grove community. His work for NASADA nearly forty years ago was ground breaking; and if he hadn't gone off the deep end with his claims about alien lifeforms existing, he would probably still be faithfully employed there. No matter, he had a job to do today, and was going to do it right.

"Hey boys, are you suited up yet?" he called out towards the curtain behind him.

"Do we have to wear these things?" Bulk Meyers groaned from the other side. "We look ridiculous."

"Yeah." Skull piped up. "Besides, these things are really itchy and it's making me sweat."

"Stop your complaining." Phenomenous retorted. "You're wearing those suits for your own protection. You did volunteer to help me with this little presentation after all."

"Tell us Phenomenous." Bulk said as he poked his head through the curtain. "How is this little presentation of yours going to help us capture aliens?"

"You'll find out in due time my boy. All in due time. Now, put your helmet on and meet me outside. It's time to get this show on the road!"

Phenomenous stepped out of his van and slammed the door shut behind him before straightening out his lab coat. He then walked around the hood of the car towards the gathered crowd of pedestrians and reporters. He smiled, straightened his bowtie, and offered everyone a wave before smiling.

"Good morning to you all. I am Professor Phenomenous and I am glad that you all have joined me today for the unveiling of my latest invention. I have developed the most powerful brand of plutonium fuel ever made!"

Phenomenous moved over to a covered platform that he had set up earlier and pulled the black and yellow-striped cover away to reveal a long tube with a metal tip on its top. There was a bubbling blue liquid inside that seemed to glow fluorescently when the sunlight hit it. The crowd scooted closer to view the tube as they all commented on its beauty and began asking questions about its purposes.

"With this fuel, I will be able to send my two trusted assistants up into outer space where they can travel freely throughout the universe to find aliens!"

A few members of the crowd looked a bit skeptical, but others seemed very interested in the professor's claims. Phenomenous motioned towards the van as Bulk and Skull hopped out of the back doors and walked around, revealing themselves to be dressed in protective clothing with helmets.

"Professor Phenomenous, this fuel that you have developed is amazing." A red-headed reporter spoke up as her cameraman filmed the events. "But isn't it true that if this canister were to break, your fuel would cause a catastrophic explosion large enough to destroy the entire city?"

The reporter held the microphone out towards the scientist while the crowd began to voice their concerns and fears.

"Well yes, that could happen, but how could it break open? This canister will be protected at all times in a carefully constructed facility in my laboratory."

Phenomenous pointed at a tall skyscraper located just a block away while the crowd looked towards the building.

"Why, in my care, nothing will happen to it."

The professor swung his arms out to exaggerate his point, but accidentally struck the canister sending it toppling off the display pedestal. The crowd began to scream as they shielded their heads, expecting the worst, but Bulk managed to catch it in time and took a sigh of relief.

"See, nothing to worry about." The old man said with a reassuring smile.

"Professor," the reporter began again, "tell us how you plan to protect the plutonium from those who would want to use it for evil purposes."

As Phenomenous began his rant, a hooded figure within the crowd carefully snuck away without anyone noticing. Once they were a good distance away, they pulled their hood down, revealing a head of wild white-glittered curls.

Astronema's lips curled into an evil smile as a wicked plot began to take root in her mind. She could see it vividly- the skyscraper where the plutonium fuel would be kept falling to the ground and destroying the entire city on impact and the Power Rangers along with it. She knew the rangers were on earth after following them away from Rhan. This would be the perfect chance to exact her revenge.

"Perfect." She purred before disappearing in a flash of light.

* * *

Ashley and Andros were busy sitting under a weeping willow tree in Angel Grove Park, staring out at the lake where a bunch of people could be seen swimming and having fun with their friends and family. Ashley tapped Andros on the shoulder before holding out a carton of popcorn, a smile on her lips.

"Popcorn?" she asked.

Andros raised an eyebrow before reaching into the carton and grabbing a handful. He shoved it in his mouth while Ashley waited patiently to see his reaction. When a satisfied smile graced his lips, she laughed before moving the carton closer so he'd have easy access.

"It's really salty, but it's good." Andros commented as he ate another handful. "We don't have anything like this on KO-35."

"I kind of figured when I saw whatever that purple stuff was on your plate the other day." Ashley said with a smirk. "I can't imagine having to live a life without common earth food. I'd die of starvation."

Andros shrugged. "You got me there."

"So, are their parks like this on KO-35? Our visit there a few weeks ago was so short that we really didn't get the chance to explore."

Andros nodded as he ate another handful of popcorn. "Yeah, we have parks, but we don't have playground equipment like you guys. There are mostly nature parks that are sustained by artificial water sources. Karovian people usually go there to exercise, play games, or have picnics. Kind of like what earthlings do."

Ashley smiled before taking a bite of popcorn for herself. Andros watched her intently as she sighed and closed her eyes.

"That breeze feels amazing." She said before inhaling deeply.

The afternoon sunlight bathed Ashley in a warm glow. Her light brown hair almost had a golden hue to it, and her skin looked flawless. Andros took the time to study her features like the bridge of her nose, her plump lips, and the fullness of her cheeks. It was the first time that he had actually took the time to truly study the girl in front of him; and dare he admit it, she was absolutely breathtaking. Ashley opened her eyes, feeling Andros's gaze on her, and turned her head towards him, a playful smile on her lips.

"What?"

Andros cleared his throat and tugged at the collar of his long-sleeved shirt. "Nothing. I just want more popcorn, that's all."

Ashley looked at the carton and noticed that it was empty. "Come on, we can go and get more from the vendor."

Andros watched as she stood to her feet and brushed the grass from her pants before extending a hand to help him up. The two of them then headed across the park towards the vendor where they'd bought the first carton. Just as Ashley finished paying the salesman, Andros spotted Cassie walking through the front gates.

"Hey Cassie, over here!" he called out to her with a wave.

Ashley looked up and smiled as her best friend approached wearing a long-sleeved pink shirt with matching converse and a pair of overalls.

"Aw, your pigtails are adorable Cass." She said with a giggle.

"I didn't have time to straighten my hair this morning." She admitted. "So I decided to stick with something easy. You two look like you're having fun."

"We're just passing the time until our afternoon matinee starts." Ashley said with a shrug. "What've you been up to on your day off?"

"I just finished having lunch with my parents." She said. "I was going to meet up with Carlos and Adam to watch their soccer match. You know how intense their competitions can get."

"Don't I ever?" Ashley groaned. "I remember this one time, I had a dream that the two of them got into a physical altercation after Carlos accused Adam of cheating. I was watching them from the bleachers and the two of them started throwing soccer balls at each other. Well, Carlos wound up missing Adam and the ball came flying right towards me and hit me square in the face. It hurt; and I woke up to find that I had fallen out of bed flat on my face."

Andros and Cassie laughed as Ashley rubbed her forehead absent-mindedly as she recalled the bruise that had formed and settled for nearly a week.

"That sort of reminds me of this dream I had back on the Megaship last week." Cassie said. "One minute I was flying and then Astronema showed up. Next thing I know…"

Cassie trailed off and placed her hand to her chin in thought as she tried to recall what happened next.

"I think I wrote it all down in my diary." She said as she opened her blue jean purse and reached inside. She gasped, when her hand failed to come in contact with the little pink book. Her eyes widened as she removed the strap from her shoulder and pulled the purse open to look inside. There was no sign of her diary, only a tube of Smacker's lip balm, her house keys, two pieces of gum, and her wallet.

"Oh no, I think I left my diary at the Surf Spot."

"Don't worry Cassie." Ashley said reassuringly. "I'm sure someone turned it into Adele. No one's going to take a peek; and even if they did, it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"That's just it Ash, it is a big deal." Cassie groaned. "I sort of have a picture of me in my Pink Turbo Ranger suit on the tenth page."

"You what?" Ashley shouted causing a group of bystanders to look their way.

"Come on, we have to go and find it." Cassie said as she took off running. Just before she could make it out of the front gates, she slammed right into two guys who were on their way into the park.

Cassie fell onto her back and groaned as she slowly sat up. Andros and Ashley quickly caught up to her and helped her onto her feet before looking towards the two teens standing in front of them. One of them was really tall with brown hair that was jelled back. He appeared to be very shy and couldn't look Cassie in the eyes. The other guy came up to the taller guy's shoulders and had a head full of messy blonde hair that reached his shoulders. The blonde boy smiled widely and Ashley immediately felt that she wasn't going to like this conversation.

"Sorry about that." Cassie apologized as she brushed her overalls off. "I should really watch where I'm going."

"No problem Cassie." The blonde spoke.

"How do you know my name?" Cassie asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't remember me? I'm hurt. My name's George. I sat behind you last semester for pre-calculous. Well, you may not remember me, but that's okay. I'm not here for me, I'm here for my dear pal Lenny. We have something that belongs to you."

Lenny reached into his pocket and pulled out Cassie's diary.

"My diary!" she exclaimed as she made a reach for it. "Thank goodness you found it."

"Wait a second Cassie." George said as he pulled the diary from Lenny's hand and waved it around playfully. "You can get your diary back after you return the favor to us for finding it. My buddy Lenny here would like you to go out on a date with him in exchange for returning your diary."

Cassie's eyes widened at the request. "A…a date…? But, that's blackmail."

"Come on." George said, brushing it off as though it were no big deal. "It's a perfectly reasonable idea. You two are going to have so much fun together. Besides, you have a lot in common. Lenny is a writer too."

Cassie spared a glance at Lenny who smiled at her shyly before looking down towards his feet. She then looked back towards George who was busy playing with the lock and key of the diary.

"If you don't go on a date with Lenny, well, you get the gist right?"

"Cassie, come on." Ashley said as she rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You don't have to go through with this. You'd be playing right into his hands."

"Yeah, I know, but I have to get it back." She said with a sigh.

Cassie turned towards the two boys once more and shoved her hands in her pockets. "What time?"

"Meet us in the town square at two." George said with a beaming smile. "Don't be late."

Cassie watched with a heavy heart as George stuffed her diary back into his pocket before taking off with Lenny.

"What am I going to do?" she groaned as they disappeared from sight.

"If that diary thing is really important to you, then I guess you have to go on that date." Andros said with a shrug.

Just then, Andros's communicator began to beep. The three of them looked around to make sure no one was watching before jogging over to an empty area near a grove of trees.

"This is Andros. Go ahead."

 **Andros, Alpha and I have completed construction on the Mega Tank. Awaiting further instructions.**

"That's great D.E.C.A. Sit tight, I'll be there soon."

"The Mega Tank?" Ashley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A new edition to our arsenal." He said with a smile. "Our movie doesn't start for another hour. Want to go check it out for a bit?"

Ashley smiled. "Sure. Are you coming Cassie?"

The Pink Ranger shook her head. "I can't. I have less than twenty minutes until my doom date."

"Well, good luck." Andros said with a smile before taking Ashley's hand and heading out of the park.

Cassie watched them go with interest, taking note of their hand holding. Perhaps the Red and Yellow Ranger were starting to become something more than friends?

* * *

"The Mega Tank is awesome Andros." Carlos said as he walked around the large blue and yellow tank, taking note of the cannons and drills attached to it.

"Yeah, it's great." TJ agreed. "But what are we going to use it for?"

"We don't know where Zordon is being held." Andros pointed out as he looked up from the clipboard in his hands. Dark Specter could have him on a planet with a rough terrain. We have to be ready for anything."

"Plus, it looks cool too." Carlos said with a smile. "I can't wait to test drive this thing."

"Hey Carlos, looks aren't everything." Ashley said with a giggle. "You should be more impressed with the tank's functions, not its appearance."

"Appearances aren't everything Ash, really?" Carlos said with a smile before pulling at the yellow flowered headband she was currently wearing.

Ashley swatted his hand away before readjusting it. "Hey, this isn't about me. This is about our new vehicle."

"All that aside, have the Megaship's sensors picked up on any traces of the Dark Fortress?" TJ asked.

Andros's face grew serious at the question. "I had Alpha and D.E.C.A. launch a scan when we docked on earth last night. The scans came up negative, but they could be wrong. The Dark Fortress could very well be cloaked somewhere nearby. It's Astronema's ultimate mission to destroy us. She wouldn't let us go that easily."

"Then we'd better keep our guard up." TJ said. "While having fun of course."

"Right." Carlos said. "So, where's Cassie? I figured she'd be here too."

"Right now, she's in the middle of a battle only she can win." Ashley said while Andros gave her a knowing smile.

* * *

Cassie walked alongside Lenny and George, a look of irritation on her face as George continued to ramble on and on about Lenny and his many accomplishments while Lenny remained silent.

"Lenny was on the football team last semester." George continued to rant. "He made twelve tackles during the season's last game. He can bench over two-hundred pounds. Oh, he also knows everything about cars. I'm telling you Cassie, my man Lenny can do _anything_."

"Oh really?" she said with a sarcastic laugh. "Well, if he can do anything, why can't he talk? I mean, this _is_ supposed to be his date, right?"

"He only talks to me." George said quickly. "He always says something stupid. That's why I had to get him this date. He would've never managed to ask you out on his own."

Cassie stopped walking when she spied a street vendor up the block. "You know something George, I'm dying of thirst. What about you Lenny, are you thirsty?"

Lenny parted his lips to speak, but George stepped in front of him, cutting him off.

"I'll bet he's thirsty too, and so am I." he said quickly. "Say, why don't I go and get us some sodas? You guys wait here. I'll be right back."

Cassie nodded and watched as he headed off. Once he was out of earshot, she smiled before wrapping both her arms around Lenny's right, an eager smile on her face.

"Come on, let's ditch him!" she exclaimed.

A smile spread across Lenny's face and he nodded before following Cassie out of the square. Cassie giggled once they were away from George and walking down a shopping strip. She looked up at Lenny and noticed the look of uncertainty on his face. Suddenly, she got the feeling that this blackmailing idea wasn't his.

"Hey, you don't really need George to go on your date with you, do you?" she asked calmly as they made their way past an antique shop.

"I guess…no, not really." He stammered as he averted his gaze to the concrete sidewalk.

Cassie smiled before resting a hand on his shoulder, pausing their walk. "Good, then let's go have some fun. Just you and me; but only under one condition. You have to promise that you will give me my diary back."

Lenny looked up and saw that Cassie was holding her pinky finger out towards him, a genuine smile on her face. A feeling of warmth overcame him and he nodded before hooking his pink around hers and shaking his hand.

"I promise Cassie."

* * *

Cassie smiled as Lenny handed a dollar and a few coins to a balloon vendor before passing it to Cassie. She smiled, taking note of the balloon's pink color, before tying it around her wrist.

"So, what do you want to do next?" he asked as he scuffed the toe of his shoe against the ground.

"Why don't you choose something?" Cassie asked with a smile. "It will be good dating practice for you."

Lenny looked around the downtown area and stopped when his eyes rested on a tall skyscraper just across the street.

"There's a restaurant in that building." He said with a point. "My parents and I eat there all the time. They've got amazing Italian food. Wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"That sounds great." Cassie said before taking his hand. "Come on."

Cassie pulled Lenny with her across the street, the two of them laughing the whole way before running through the revolving doors of the building. The elevator was already open and waiting when they got inside and they wasted no time getting onboard. The elevator was glass and they could see all of Angel Grove as they rode up to the top floor.

When the elevator came to a stop, Lenny stepped aside to let Cassie through before following her into the restaurant. Business seemed to be booming at the moment, for nearly every table was filled; but Lenny managed to spot a table for two on the opposite wall right beside a large-faced window that stared out over the city. He motioned for Cassie to follow him and pulled out her chair before taking his own. A waitress smiled and approached them before handing them menus.

"Hi there, my name is Lila and I will be your server today. All of our lunch specials are listed on the second page and our beverages can be found on the back. I will be back with a glass of water for each of you and then we can start your dining experience."

Cassie thanked the woman before untying her balloon and letting it float up to the ceiling. She smiled and turned her attention to her menu.

"Wow, they have a good variety here." She said as her eyes skimmed over the menu.

"Try their chicken alfredo." Lenny said with a smile. "It's my favorite."

"I think I will." Cassie smiled as she set her menu down and looked out the window. "Hey, I can see my house from here. Actually, I can see all of my friends' houses."

"I think I see mine too." Lenny said. "Oh, and the school."

"Come on, let's see if we can get a better view."

Cassie stood from her seat and maneuvered her way past the other tables as she headed towards an even larger window near the restrooms. Lenny caught up to her and smiled at the breathtaking sight. Palm trees seemed to stretch on for miles and Angel Grove Lake could be seen just a little ways away, the water appearing to be a deep, cerulean blue.

"This view is amazing." He said.

Just then, the entire restaurant began shaking. Cassie steadied herself against the wall, her heart pounding in her chest as the shaking continued. A loud booming noise could be heard down below as the restaurant began shaking again. Tables started to fall over and ceiling tiles began raining down on the customers as everyone started to flee from the restaurant.

"Earthquake?" Lenny guessed.

Cassie looked out the window and gasped at the sight of an elephant-like monster ramming its head against the skyscraper. It would appear that Astronema had followed her and the others back to earth. What her motives were for attacking the skyscraper, who knew.

"Come on, we have to get out of here." Lenny said as he began to tug on her arm.

"No Lenny, you get out of here." She said quickly as she watched people fleeing. "I'll catch up with you later."

"No Cassie, I'm not leaving you here by yourself."

Just then, a ceiling tile fell down and struck Lenny in the head. The tall football player was knocked unconscious immediately and slumped down against the wall.

"Lenny!" Cassie cried out as she crouched down and did her best to shake him awake. "Lenny, come on, you have to get up!"

Cassie began to slap Lenny's face with the hopes of waking him up. Thankfully, her idea worked. Lenny began to blink as a groan escaped his lips. Cassie slung his arm around her shoulder and helped him up before walking him out of the demolished dining room.

* * *

Carlos and TJ were in the middle of a game of pool when Ashley and Andros walked into the Surf Spot.

"Hey you two, how was the movie?" TJ asked.

"Great." Andros said. "It was a little different than the kind of films I'm used to seeing, but it was pretty entertaining."

Before Carlos and TJ could inquire more, the rangers' communicators began to beep. Looking around to ensure they weren't being watched, the four teens ran into an emptied hallway just off the kitchen quarters.

"Go ahead Alpha." Andros instructed.

 **Rangers, Astronema has just unleashed a powerful new monster named Elephant Titan into Angel Grove. He's busy attacking a large skyscraper as we speak. Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi!**

"But why?" Ashley wondered.

"Let's not wait around to find out." TJ said. "Come on you guys."

"What about Cassie?" Carlos asked.

 **I'll get a hold of her rangers. Don't worry.**

Andros nodded towards his teammates before unlatching his morpher. "Let's rock it!"

* * *

The rangers rushed through the streets of downtown Angel Grove, squeezing past pedestrians who were fleeing from the chaos. The ground was shaking and they could hear a loud banging noise off in the distance. Knowing that Elephant Titan was behind the chaos, the rangers quickened their pace. When they reached the skyscraper, they could see the large gray elephant monster ramming his head against the building repeatedly.

"We've got to get these people out of here before someone gets hurt." Andros said as he and the others spread out to help a few stragglers.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked a woman who was bent over clutching her ankle.

"The Yellow Ranger." The woman exclaimed, a smile on her face. "Wow, nice costume change."

"Thanks ma'am." Ashley said with a giggle. "Here, let me help you."

Ashley helped the woman onto her feet, taking note of how she flinched when she put pressure on her swollen ankle. Ashley spied a man and his teenage son running towards her and waved to get their attention.

"Can you help get this woman to safety?" She asked quickly. "She's injured."

"Sure thing." The older man said as he scooped the woman up into his arms. The woman thanked Ashley and waved as the two men carried her away from the commotion.

Ashley ran back to join her friends; but before Andros could give the command to attack, a blast of purple electricity came shooting down from the sky and struck the ground right in front of the four heroes. The rangers jumped back in surprise, nearly getting caught up in the blast before turning their attention in the direction from which the attack came.

Astronema was standing on top of a nearby parking garage with a group of Quantrons by her side, her staff aimed directly at the rangers.

"Astronema." Andros growled.

"I can see that Claw Hammer didn't digest you." The evil princess spoke nonchalantly. "I guess it wasn't all that bad of a loss for me. You guys still didn't manage to secure the final diskette. You are no closer to finding Zordon than you were before."

"Get down here Astronema." Andros demanded. "Or are you too scared to take us on?"

"Me, scared? You've got to be kidding me. No Red Ranger, I will not be fighting you today. I have something…better in mind."

Astronema turned to her henchmen and motioned for them to follow her lead. "Let's get out of here before this place is blown sky high."

"What did she just say?" TJ asked as Astronema and the Quantrons disappeared in a flash of light.

"She said this place is going to be blown sky high." Carlos said. "But by what exactly?"

"Ashley, there's a scanner connected to your ranger suit." Andros said. "It should allow you to detect any abnormalities within the area."

"If Elephant Titan is focused on this sky scrapper, it's got to be inside the building." TJ pointed out.

Ashley nodded quickly before switching to her suit's scanner mode. The others watched as a blue icon lit up on the top of her helmet. Ashley slowly walked towards the building and looked up.

"You guys aren't going to believe this." She gasped. "My scanner detects a plutonium fuel case on the top floor of this building. Even worse, I can detect a life force inside near it."

"Your scanner picks up on energy sources, not life forces." Andros said. "How can you see someone?"

"Because I'm picking up on the energy source of an Astro Morpher inside."

"Cassie?" TJ spoke as his blood turned to ice.

"Let's move now." Andros said. "If we don't get Cassie out of that building, there's a good chance we could lose her."

* * *

"Cassie, I'm fine now." Lenny reassured her. "I can walk on my own."

Cassie nodded before removing his arm from around her shoulder. "There has to be a stairwell around here somewhere." She said as she looked around for a door. A few more ceiling tiles fell from up above and the two teens shielded their heads to avoid another knock out. Cassie spied a door and pulled Lenny inside, completely ignoring the warning sign on the outside.

The room was dark and Cassie immediately realized they weren't in a stairwell; but before she could suggest they try another door, a strange sound grabbed her attention. While Lenny looked around for a light switch, Cassie turned around and spied a large cylinder in the center of the room.

"What is that?" she wondered as she walked towards the tube. Lenny turned around, curious as to what caught her eye before following her.

Cassie studied the cylinder for a moment, taking note of the access hatch on top of it, a keypad, and a display screen that was currently counting down. Her eyes widened when she spied a yellow and black warning sign just beside the display screen.

"Radioactive Plutonium Reactor." She read the words aloud as she began to mentally panic.

"That thing is getting ready to explode." Lenny realized when he spied the word _overheating_ on the display screen. "We're gonna die if we stay in here. Cassie, let's go!"

Lenny ran over to the door and grabbed the door handle, only to realize that it was locked from the outside. He began banging on the door, screaming and pleading for someone to let him out while Cassie stared at the bomb, her eyes wide with horror as she tried to debate on what to do. She could morph in front of Lenny and save them both at the risk of revealing her civilian identity, or she could find a way for them to get out in her civilian form; but at the rate things were going, option number one seemed to be the most plausible choice.

" _Don't worry, the others will make it on time."_ She thought to herself; but what were the odds that they knew there was a bomb inside the building? Sure, they had probably already been made aware of the monster attacking the building; but would they be too late in saving her?

Cassie spared a glance at Lenny who was starting to go into hysterics before lifting up her sleeve to stare down at her morpher.

"What do I do?"

* * *

"We need to get up there now and save her." TJ said as he began to lose his cool.

"Yeah, but how?" Ashley wondered. "Our Galaxy Gliders could get us up there, but we would be fully exposed to the rubble inside the building."

"Then let's try the new Mega Tank." Andros said.

"But it hasn't been fully tested yet." Carlos reminded him.

"Well right now is the perfect opportunity to test it out." TJ said. "We've got to do something to save Cassie. The Mega Tank's our only hope."

"He's right Carlos." Andros said before raising his hands up towards the sky. "Mega Tank, deploy now!"

The rangers looked towards the sky as the sound of an engine running reached their ears. The Mega Tank levitated down to the ground in a matter of seconds before landing with a thud in front of the rangers. The sliding doors opened quickly and Andros turned to TJ and Carlos.

"Ashley and I will head inside to find Cassie and diffuse the plutonium bomb." He said.

"Right." TJ said with a nod. He had complete faith that Andros and Ashley would save their friend in time.

"We'll stay here and deal with Elephant Titan." Carlos said as he turned towards the large beast. "Good luck you guys."

Ashley nodded before she and Andros hopped inside the tank. TJ and Carlos watched as Andros revved the engine and sped right into the side of the skyscraper, disappearing from sight. He and Carlos then turned back towards Elephant Titan.

The monster was charging back towards the building again, but before he could ram its head into it, Carlos and TJ jumped him from behind to restrain him. The monster proved to be stronger than they originally hoped, and wasted no time tossing the two rangers off of him, sending them rolling across the pavement.

Carlos stood to his feet quickly and summoned his Lunar Lance before running back towards Elephant Titan. He swung towards the beast, striking him in the chest and as he wound up to take another swing, the monster grabbed him using its trunks. Carlos yelled as he was swung around in the air before being tossed back down towards the ground. He stood back up and ran towards the monster again, only to have his Lunar Lance blocked by its trunk. TJ took the opportunity to run up behind the Elephant using his Astro Axe; and as he sliced the monster across his back, he managed to do a significant amount of damage. He smirked as Elephant Titan dropped down to his knees.

TJ ran to meet up with Carlos and high-fived him before readying himself for a counterattack. Elephant Titan growled loudly before scraping his foot against the ground.

"Watch out!" Carlos shouted as the monster charged towards them. The two rangers dove out of the way just in time and watched in horror as the monster kept running, barreling right through two cars and into the side of the parking garage where Astronema had been standing earlier.

"Are you sure that's an elephant monster?" Carlos said, relieved that they hadn't been hit during the attack. "It seems more like a raging bull to me."

"Lookout, he's coming back!" TJ warned him as he pointed straight ahead.

Sure enough, Elephant Titan was charging back towards them. They dove out of the way again and gasped as the monster struck the side of the skyscraper once more. TJ looked up and watched as the building started to lean from the force of the attack.

"We can't let him hit the building again." He told Carlos. "Ashley, Andros, and Cassie are all inside. We can't take the risk of losing them."

Carlos nodded before whistling to the monster. "Hey there boy, come here boy! Come on you big stupid monster."

Elephant Titan growled before turning around to face the two rangers, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Come on Carlos, did you have to insult him?" TJ groaned.

* * *

Ashley and Andros focused on the path in front of them as the Mega Tank continued to barrel through the walls of the building. Andros used the tank's claw action feature to move some of the rubble out of the way to make their access to Cassie easier.

"Where is Cassie located?" Andros asked as he steered the tank into the stairwell.

Ashley looked up towards the ceiling of the tank and activated her scanner. "She's on the top floor. She doesn't appear to be moving. Do you think she's trapped? Or worse, could she be injured?"

"Try and stay positive." Andros tried to reassure her as he rested a hand on her knee. "We're going to get to her in time Ash, I promise."

Ashley's eyes traveled down to the hand resting on her knee before looking up to meet Andros's helmet-covered gaze. Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smiling and she couldn't help but to smile too. Andros nodded before turning his attention back to clearing rubble. Ashley placed a hand over her stomach to calm the butterflies that had taken flight the minute his hand rested on her knee. He was trying to comfort her, the way a good friend should. Was she wrong for assuming and hoping that it could have been something more?

* * *

Cassie's heart was beating a mile a minute as she stared at the plutonium reactor. It had begun to smoke about three minutes ago and its latest display trick involved sparks and electricity spewing from its surface. An alarm began blaring throughout the room as red lights began flashing everywhere. Cassie spared a glance at Lenny whose back was pressed up against the door, one arm at his side and one above his head as he tried to steady himself.

"We're going to die in here." He said in a breathless whisper. "Is this some kind of cruel punishment or a form of karma for taking your diary? Cassie, I am so sorry. If I could go back in time, I would stop George from taking that diary. I'm sorry that he blackmailed you and I'm sorry that I chose to go along with his plan. It's just that you're really pretty and super nice…I'm so sorry Cassie, I shouldn't have done this."

Cassie managed to force a smile. "Hey, it wasn't all that bad. You're actually a pretty nice guy; and if we manage to make it out of here alive, I would definitely be down for another date."

"Yeah, I'd be shocked if we could get out of here unscathed." He said as sweat streamed down the side of his face.

"Get ready for the shock of your life Lenny." Cassie said as she closed her eyes in mental preparation and popped open the lid of her morpher.

Just before Cassie could enter her code, a loud explosion erupted on the other side of the room. A smile spread across Cassie's face when a large tank burst through a wall on the opposite side of the room. As soon as she spied the Astro Ranger logo on the side of the tank, she realized that it was the Mega Tank Andros was talking about earlier.

"What is that thing?" Lenny asked as Cassie ran over and grabbed his hand.

"It's the Power Rangers!" she exclaimed. "Come on, let's go."

Lenny wasted no time arguing and followed Cassie towards the Mega Tank. The door slid open and Ashley leaned out motioning for them to hurry.

"Come on you two. Run, we have to get out of here." She said.

Cassie and Lenny climbed inside, taking the back seats while Ashley closed the door and plopped back down beside Andros.

"Buckle up and sit tight." Ashley said reassuringly. "We're going to get you out of here."

"Hang on." Andros said as he began moving around the tank's controls. "We have to disarm the reactor first."

The others nodded and watched as Andros summoned the tank's claw and moved to thank towards the reactor; but before he could clamp down on the plutonium tube, the building shook. Once the shaking stopped, Andros slowly eased the controls forward and latched onto the plutonium tube. Slowly, he pulled the tube out of the reactor while the others held their breath. If he dropped that tube, this rescue mission would have been all for nothing.

Slowly, the claw lifted the tube out of the reactor. Once the blue liquid was in sight, Andros turned towards Ashley.

"Release the neutralizer." He commanded.

"Right." She said with a nod before hitting a button closest to her. Slowly, a brown liquid began pouring from a tube connected to the claw. After a few seconds of waiting, the fluorescent blue liquid dulled to a neutral black. Everyone cheered as Andros retracted the claw.

"Alright, now let's go take care of Elephant Titan." He said to the Yellow Ranger as he reversed the controls and led the Mega Tank back in the direction they came from.

* * *

Elephant Titan had managed to pin Carlos and TJ against the side of the skyscraper. The two rangers struggled to free themselves, but weren't managing to make much progress. TJ suddenly spied two yellow and blue tubes connected to a jewel on the monster's head.

"Carlos, help me pry these things free." He said as he made a grab for it; but before either of the rangers could latch on, a large green beam shot down from the sky and struck Elephant Titan.

Carlos and TJ were released and watched in horror as Elephant Titan grew in size, nearly matching the skyscraper.

"Oh no!" Carlos shouted as the monster wrapped his arms around the building and gave it a violent shake.

"The others are still inside." TJ said, suddenly worried about his friends. "We have to do something."

"Booster mode?" Carlos suggested.

TJ nodded before summoning his Astro Axe once more and connecting it to his Astro Blaster while Carlos connected his blaster to his Lunar Lance.

"Lunar Lance!" he shouted.

"Astro Blaster!" TJ hollered as the two of them aimed their upgraded weapons towards Elephant Titan and opened fired.

Their blasters managed to do a significant amount of damage as the blasts struck Elephant Titan in the torso; but the giant monster wasn't seriously injured by the blast and charged up a laser beam attack using its eyes. It fired two yellow blasts upon the rangers, sending them flying across the street. Carlos and TJ looked up as a loud rumbling sound could be heard and watched in horror as the skyscraper began to tilt backwards.

"No!" TJ shouted as it fell rapidly towards the ground; but just before it could hit, the Mega Tank burst through the side before skidding to a stop.

The entire area shook violently as the skyscraper toppled over and destroyed four surrounding buildings as a large, billowing cloud of smoke and fire spewed up into the air. Once the rumbling stopped, Carlos and TJ could hear the sound of sirens off in the distance and the sound of helicopters overhead. Ignoring Elephant Titan for the moment, they ran towards the Mega Tank where Andros and Ashley were busy helping Cassie out of the vehicle. They looked inside and could see Lenny passed out in the back seat. Obviously, the entire ordeal had taken its toll on the poor teen.

"Cassie, you're okay." TJ said as he hugged her, taking a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine TJ." She reassured her friend. "Well, as far as dates go, this has definitely been the most interesting one I've ever had."

TJ smiled before pointing towards Elephant Titan. "Well, you're date's not over yet. Come on you guys, we have a monster to take out."

Cassie nodded before flipping her morpher lid open. "Let's rock it! Power up!"

Cassie quickly morphed into her Pink Ranger suit, but before she and the others could make a move, Elephant Titan slammed his trunk against the ground. The rangers dove out of the way as the ground shook from the impact, before rolling onto their feet.

"We need Astro Megazord power, now!" Andros shouted as he extended his hand towards the sky.

The Megazord appeared quickly, landing just behind Elephant Titan.

"Teleportation now!" The rangers shouted as they placed both their hands on their utility belts. They then disappeared in five flashes of light before rematerializing onboard the NASADA shuttle. After strapping themselves in and taking their positions. They all turned towards the monster.

"Astro Megazord, online." Andros said as they guided the Megazord towards the monster.

Elephant Titan charged towards the Megazord, its tusks extended as it prepared to barrel through the giant robot, but the Megazord caught its tusks within its hands, preventing it from doing any damage. The Zord then used its right arm to punch the monster in the forehead before sending another punch right into its gut.

"Let's shift into high gear." Andros instructed as he began to move his controls faster.

The Megazord began to strike Elephant Titan repeatedly, getting in a few jabs to his face, chest, and shoulder before the robot wound up its arm and punched the monster dead in the face.

"Astro Megazord, saber power, now!" Andros commanded.

TJ wasted no time programing the weapon before Cassie activated the thrusters. The Megazord's saber materialized just as the Zord's feet lifted off the ground. After raising the blade up into the air, the Megazord brought the sword right down on Elephant Titan, slicing him into two. The monster's dissembled body fell right on top of the skyscraper rubble before exploding.

"And he's history." Andros said with a smile while the others high-fived each other. "That's another victory for us and another failure for Astronema."

* * *

 **Now for today's hottest news story. The Power Rangers have saved the city of Angel Grove from destruction once again; and this time, they were sporting new costumes and a completely new arsenal. It has been nearly a month since any attacks occurred within Angel Grove and it would seem that within that time, the Power Rangers received a major upgrade. The Green Ranger suit is no more and a Black Ranger suit is in its place. Aside from that change, the rangers have a new tank vehicle that mange to diffuse the plutonium reactor inside the skyscraper that was destroyed during the attack from a monster known as Elephant Titan. The rangers then used their new Megazord to destroy the monster once and for all, leaving our city in peace. Thankfully, no one was killed during the destruction of the skyscraper, but we do have reports of several injuries; not to mention the fact that the eastern part of the city is closed for reconstruction at this time. Damage was done, but our lives were spared thanks to the Power Rangers. Back to you Don.**

Ashley smiled as she turned her attention away from the television screen and back to the game of pool that was currently going on between Andros, Carlos, and TJ. Cassie walked into the Surf Spot wearing a loose, floral shirt and a pair of jeans, having changed after the whole Elephant Titan fiasco. She had even managed to flat iron her hair. TJ flashed her a smile when he spotted her before turning his attention back to his game.

"Apparently, the public thought we had abandoned them for a while." Ashley spoke to her friend as she climbed up to sit on the railing beside her.

"So I heard. My parents were talking about how glad they are the Power Rangers are back." Cassie said with a laugh. "My dad also seemed a little happy that his office was destroyed during the attack. Apparently, he's out of work for two months with pay until the building can be repaired."

"Lucky him." Ashley giggled.

Just then, Ashley spied George and Lenny walking into the Surf Spot talking amongst themselves. She nudged Cassie before pointing in their direction. The girls hopped down and Cassie walked over towards the two boys while the Ashley and the others watched from afar.

"Hi Lenny." Cassie said as she began to fiddle with her hands.

"Hi Cassie." George spoke quickly before Lenny could speak. "Lenny wanted to give you back-"

"I can speak for myself." Lenny spoke up suddenly, much to George and Cassie's surprise. Lenny reached into his pocket and pulled out the diary before holding it out to Cassie who accepted it gratefully. "I wanted to give you back your diary liked I promised."

Cassie unlocked the diary quickly and flipped through the pages. She caught a glimpse of her Pink Turbo Ranger picture as she flipped through before sparing a glance at Lenny.

"We didn't read a single page Cassie, I promise." He said with a genuine smile.

"Thanks for returning it to me." She said. "But you shouldn't have taken it in the first place."

"But then, you wouldn't have gone out with me." Lenny said quickly.

Cassie smiled sweetly. "Lenny, all you had to do was ask. Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

Lenny smiled back at her before clearing his throat. He then reached behind him as George handed him something before pulling it out to reveal a bouquet of beautiful wild flowers. Cassie's face lit up in delight as Lenny handed them to her.

"Well then, will you go out with me Cassie? I was hoping we could go on a date that doesn't involve us fighting for our lives this time."

Cassie couldn't help but to laugh at the proposal. She sniffed the flowers, and sighing in content as the floral scent filled her nostrils before looking up to meet Lenny's hopeful gaze.

"Yes Lenny, I would love to out with you again. But, you wouldn't mind if we made it a double date would you?"

"Not at all." George spoke up quickly as he spared a glance at Ashley over Cassie's shoulder.

Ashley raised an eyebrow questioningly as Cassie turned around and skipped over to her. Ashley spied the diary tucked beneath Cassie's arm and the bouquet in her hands.

"I see you got your diary back, and a little gift." Ashley said nervously as she tried to figure out why George was giving her such a weird look.

"Yeah, and Lenny also asked me out again."

"Well, judging by the look on his face, I'm assuming you said yes." Carlos said knowingly.

Cassie nodded. "There's just _one_ little catch."

"Catch…?" Cassie repeatedly slowly.

Cassie took a deep breath before blurting out her demand. "It's a double date and you're going with George."

"Say _what_?" Ashley shouted as Cassie grabbed her arm and tugged her towards the two awaiting boys.

"So, what is a date exactly?" Andros asked hesitantly as he watched Ashley struggling to get out of Cassie's grip.

"Come on buddy, I'll tell you all about them." Carlos said as he slung an arm around Andros's shoulder and led him out of the room.

TJ watched Cassie and Ashley with a smile before turning to follow after them.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed all the changes I made. I really enjoyed rewriting this episode. I'll see you at the next update; oh, and be sure to review!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	10. Craterite Invasion

**A/N:** **Sorry for the wait everyone. I currently have temporary custody of my nephew and he is quite the handful. Needless to say, he makes updating very difficult to do since he's always getting into things. That baby is like a ninja, I swear. Anyways, I'm back now; so let's get on with the update!**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **The Craterite Invasion"**_

"Alright boys, let's hustle." Adam said as the junior league soccer team members jogged over towards him and Carlos. "You guys did an excellent job today. I'm amazed at how good you guys are starting to get. Be sure to get your tournament schedules from Coach Carlos and then take all the equipment over to Ms. Cassie. Practice is dismissed."

The fifth graders thanked Adam before doing as they were instructed and heading over to Carlos. The former Green Turbo Ranger spied an abandoned ball in the center of the field and jogged over to retrieve it. He began to playfully toss it back and forth between his hands as he headed over to Cassie.

"I was just minding my own business when I saw this huge bear. He had to have been at least twenty feet tall!" an African American boy exclaimed as a group of kids gathered around him.

Adam stopped walking and leaned up against the side of Carlos's jeep as he listened to the kid spin one of his infamous tall tales. Carlos noticed his mentor watching the kids and went to join him, an interested look on his face as they watched the boy waving his arms about.

"Twenty feet, yeah right." Another little boy with a bowl-shaped haircut spoke as he rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"That's right, twenty feet tall, and he bit me right here." The little boy rolled his left sleeve up, revealing an enormous bite mark on his arm."

The other kids began to scream, terrified by the sight; but before the boy could say something else, his mother approached with a scolding look on her face.

"Patrick, what have you done now?" she asked.

"Aw mom, I was just having a little fun." He whined.

The boy's mother reached into her purse and pulled out some Kleenex before crouching down and scrubbing away the homemade bite that Patrick had drawn on his arm earlier. Patrick spared a glance at his friends, embarrassed at having his latest prank exposed before looking up at his mother who smiled at him.

The other kids started laughing and teasing the boy before running off to find their own parents while Patrick's mom folded her arms across her chest.

"Patrick, you can't keep telling tall stories like this. You could wind up losing your friends' trust. Then, what would happen if something bad really did happen to you? No one would believe you because they would think you were lying to them again."

"That's right Patrick." Adam spoke up as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Haven't you ever heard of the _Boy who cried Wolf_?"

Patrick nodded. "We read that story in school before summer vacation. The boy kept telling the people in the town that a wolf was coming and he scared everyone. Then when a wolf really did come, they didn't listen and he got eaten."

"Exactly." Adam said with a nod. "Think about what happened to the boy in the story the next time you want to tell a tall tale to your friends. I'll see you at practice tomorrow."

"Bye Adam. Bye Carlos." Patrick's mother said as she led the boy over to their minivan.

"What was that all about?" Cassie asked as she closed Carlos's trunk and moved to join her two friends.

"Just a little harmless prank." Carlos said with a shrug. "Anyways, I'm starved. Do you two wanna head to the Surf Spot and grab a bite to eat?"

Adam shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. Tommy is leading a martial arts class down at the Youth Center, and I promised I would go and help him out. Our old friend Jason is supposed to be in town this week assisting and I wanted to go and watch."

"Jason, the original Red Ranger?" Cassie asked, her face lighting up with interest.

"That would be the one."

"Well, that sounds way more interesting than eating a couple of burgers." Cassie said. "I'll come with you."

"Sounds good. I'll see you at practice tomorrow then Carlos?"

Carlos scratched the back of his head. "Actually Adam, today is sort of our last day here. We're heading off planet later on to continue our search for Zordon."

Adam's face grew serious. "Oh, I understand then. That is way more important. Any leads yet?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, but I'm sure we'll come across something soon. Anyways, we'd better get going. I'd hate to keep your friends waiting."

"Right then. See you later Carlos."

Carlos nodded and watched as Cassie followed Adam over to his pickup truck. He then turned his attention back to Patrick who was still being scolded by his mother. With a shrug, the Black Ranger hopped into his jeep before heading off to the Surf Spot.

* * *

Ashley and TJ walked onto the Simudeck dressed in their ranger suits. The two of walked to the center of the room and nodded at each other.

"D.E.C.A., start Craterite training simulation." TJ commanded.

In a matter of seconds, the Simudeck setting changed and Ashley and TJ found themselves standing in the middle of a green and black training web. A group of Craterites appeared and immediately began attacking the Yellow and Blue Rangers.

TJ cheered excitedly as he summoned his Astro Axe and cut through his enemies with ease while Ashley opted to use hand-to-hand combat techniques to fend off her attackers. The two of them were managing to successfully defeat the pink and gold creatures for about five minutes when D.E.C.A. suddenly spoke up.

 **Intergalactic storm approaching. Lightning detected. I strongly suggest disabling all electronic programs onboard the Megaship. Computer malfunctions are a high probability.**

Ashley and TJ were so caught up in their training session that they didn't hear D.E.C.A.'s warning. Ashley ran towards two Craterites and leaped over their heads before dropping into a sweep kick, knocking them on their backs. She then did four backflips over to another two before kicking them both in the gut. TJ was in the middle of using his Astro Axe for a spin attack when suddenly, the Megaship shook violently, knocking them both of their feet.

The Megaship's alarms were blaring and suddenly, the training simulation came to an abrupt stop.

"What's going on?" Ashley wondered.

 **Warning, a security computer malfunction has occurred. Repeat, a security computer malfunction has occurred. Megaship computer functions are damaged.**

Ashley and TJ exchanged a worried glance; but before they could contact Andros to see what the problem was, the simulation web appeared once more before flashing away quickly. Ashley screamed as the Craterites from the simulation suddenly appeared without the simulation web around them.

"What's going on?" TJ asked.

The Craterites charged towards the Blue and Yellow Rangers. Two of the Craterites managed to tackle them to the ground, pinning them to the floor while the other Craterites ran off the Simudeck and towards the Cargo Bay. Several more Craterites continued to materialize as they too made a run for it.

"Where are they going?" Ashley asked as she struggled against her attacker.

"I don't know." TJ said as he too tried to free himself.

Suddenly, their attackers were pulled off of them. Ashley and TJ looked up and watched as Andros managed to defeat the two of them in a matter of seconds. He then moved to help them onto their feet.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked.

"We're fine." Ashley reassured him. "Andros, what's going on?"

"Yeah, how are our simulation Craterites suddenly real?"

"The Megaship managed to fly through a storm cloud during orbit." Andros explained as they ran towards the Cargo Bay. "The ship was struck by lightning and the computer systems took serious damage. Alpha said the Simudeck's computer system took the most damage."

"Oh no, look!" Ashley shouted when they finally reached the Cargo Bay.

The last of the Craterites were jumping out of the opened Cargo Bay doors and down to earth. Andros ran and closed the Cargo Bay doors to prevent the release of the ship's oxygen supply.

"There had to have been at least a thousand of them." TJ said as he removed his helmet. Ashley followed suit and removed hers. "I'm sorry Andros, we couldn't stop them."

"It's not your fault." Andros said reassuringly as he rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll stop them."

"What do we do?" Ashley asked as she ran a hand through her hair.

"First thing's first, we need to contact Carlos and Cassie to let them know what's happened. Then, we can all rendezvous in Angel Grove and devise a strategy to take the Craterites down. In the meantime, I'll have Alpha and D.E.C.A. repair the Megaship's computer systems. I get the feeling that once the Simudeck's system has been repaired, the Craterites will disappear."

* * *

Tommy and Jason circled each other slowly on the practice mats, their hands raised in defense as they both plotted out their next move. So far, the two had proven to be equally matched. Tommy had won the first round and Jason was declared winner of the second and third; but Tommy managed to make a comeback for the fourth, leaving them with an extra round for a tie breaker.

Tommy smirked as Jason stared him down, his hair a tangled mess, having fallen out of its ponytail holder during the second match. Taking that as his cue, Jason charged towards Tommy and jumped into the air bringing his leg down in an exe kick; but Tommy was ready for the attack and crossed his arms above his head to block the attack. He then forced his knee upward to knee the former ranger in the gut, but Jason had landed back on the floor and used his hands to block his knee.

The two continued to try to gain the upper hand on each other, throwing punches and kicks while occasionally displaying their own special techniques while several onlookers watched the two martial arts champions duking it out.

Cassie leaned towards the edge of her seat as she watched the heated exchange, making mental notes of how the two of them moved. The two of them were former Power Rangers after all and had won countless battles. She could definitely learn a thing or two from them.

Jason dropped down into a sweep kick that Tommy easily evaded by jumping over his extended leg; but Jason swung around another time, knocking Tommy onto his back. Tommy pushed himself up quickly and sent a straight-legged kick towards Jason's gut, but the former Red and Gold Ranger caught his foot quickly before shoving him away.

"Wow, they're really good." Cassie commented to her predecessor beside her.

Katherine smiled before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yep, equally matched too. Wow, this brings back so many memories. Tanya and I would watch them practice every day after school while working on our homework. They used to be evenly matched, but dare I say it, I think Jason has stepped his game up in the few months we've been apart."

Cassie suddenly sat upright when her communicator let out an electronic beep. Katherine raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliarity of the sound; but when she saw Cassie push her sleeve up, she knew it meant trouble. Out of habit, Katherine leaned close to her protégé to listen to her transmission.

"This is Cassie. Go ahead."

 **Cass, it's TJ. You aren't going to believe this, but the Craterites from the Simudeck are real!**

"What do you mean they're real TJ? They're just a part of the simulation."

 **Not anymore they aren't. Ashley and I were training on the Simudeck, but the Megaship was hit by a galactic storm and the computers malfunctioned, causing the simulation dummies to become real creatures. They escaped through the cargo bay doors and are somewhere on earth as we speak.**

"What?" Katherine gasped, her eyes wide.

 **Ashley, Andros, and I have beamed down to earth to look for them, but we can't seem to find them anywhere. They're our enemies, so they would undoubtedly go to Angel Grove. Question is, where? Can you and Carlos meet up with us in the town square?**

"Sure, I'll find him; but Teej, if what you're saying is true, there have to be thousands of Craterites. We might need some help taking them on. Tommy, Adam, Kat, and Jason are with me at the Youth Center as we speak. Maybe they could tag along for a while?"

 **I don't see why not. See you in a few.**

"Right."

Cassie ended the transmission and flashed Katherine a smile. "What do you say Kat? Do you mind lending us a hand?"

Katherine smiled back at her before standing to her feet. "Let's go."

* * *

"Those Craterites have got to be here somewhere, but where?" Ashley wondered as she looked around the town square cautiously. The citizens of Angel Grove were moving about peacefully as they moved around the square taking strolls, heading into shops for afternoon sales, and enjoying picnics by the large fountain in the square's center.

"The Craterites are programmed to attack Power Rangers." Andros said as he and TJ combed through the area with their eyes as well. "They've got to be somewhere in your city. They're more than likely hiding."

"Hey you guys!" Carlos's voice came from across the square. The rangers looked up and smiled at the sight of Cassie and Carlos jogging over with Jason, Tommy, Katherine, and Adam in tow.

"You guys made it." TJ said with a smile. "Good, we need all the help we can get."

"What's going on?" Tommy asked. "Cassie didn't really go into details. She just said you would need our help."

"The Craterites are customized foot soldiers that exist within a training web on the Megaship." Andros spoke up. "After our ship was hit by a galactic storm, the computer systems malfunctioned and the creatures became real before escaping into Angel Grove."

"What do they look like?" Adam asked.

"They have purple body suits with yellow waves on them. They also have golden masks on."

"Do you think we'll be alright facing them without our powers?" Katherine wondered aloud.

"You should be fine." Andros said as he flashed her a reassuring smile. "We're going to split up into teams of two and one team of three. Each of you will accompany one of us so you'll have at least one ranger on your side. Should anything go awry, contact me immediately and we'll set up a rendezvous point. We have to prevent the Craterites from hurting any innocent people until Alpha and D.E.C.A. can finish repairs on the Simudeck's computer systems."

"I'll go with Katherine." Cassie volunteered.

"And Adam and I can be a team." Carlos said as he wrapped a free arm around his friend's shoulders.

"Me and Jason can work as a team." TJ suggested.

"Which makes the team of three me, Andros, and Tommy." Ashley concluded.

"Alright you guys, split up." Andros commanded. "Don't be afraid to contact me should anything go wrong."

* * *

Cassie and Katherine made their way down Main Street of Angel Grove as they scanned the surrounding area with caution. Cassie had her scanner hidden inside her jacket to avoid drawing attention to herself as she scanned the surrounding area for any signs of abnormal energy.

"Any luck yet?" Katherine asked hopefully as she eyed a couple coming out of the local coffeehouse.

"None." Cassie sighed as she adjusted the scanner's settings. "I just don't get it. The Craterites should be emitting an abnormal energy reading being that they're nonhuman, but my scanner isn't picking up on anything unusual."

"Things seem pretty quiet for now." Katherine said softly, her Australian accent coating each word. "Perhaps we should try another block?"

Cassie was about to reply when the sound of sobbing reached her ears. She paused her search and looked around, her eyes finally spotting the little boy from soccer practice earlier. She motioned for Katherine to follow her before jogging over to the park bench where the boy was busy crying into his hands.

"Patrick, what's the matter?" Cassie asked as she took a seat beside him and began rubbing his back soothingly.

"You'll never believe me." He sobbed as he looked up at her, his little brown eyes filled with tears. "I tried to tell a police officer near my house and he wouldn't listen. Even my best friends wouldn't believe me."

"Well Patrick, you've told a lot of unbelievable stories lately. I mean, you heard what coach Adam said to you earlier about the boy who cried wolf. If you continue to lie and tell tall stories to people, when something bad really does happen, it's hard for them to believe if you're telling the truth."

"But I'm telling the truth this time Cassie, really!" the little boy exclaimed as he jumped up from the bench. "I went next door to Mrs. Adam's house like my mom told me to before school, but she didn't answer the door. I looked in the window to see if she was coming and I saw these monsters inside."

"Patrick…" Cassie started as she gave him a scolding look.

"Really Cassie, I'm not lying. The monsters had pink suits and gold faces. They were giving me creepy looks. When I went to tell the police man, I saw his reflection in the car mirror and he looked like one of those monsters too."

Katherine and Cassie exchanged a worried glance. The monsters sounded an awful lot like Craterites. Perhaps the boy really was telling the truth.

"Okay Patrick, we believe you." Katherine said with a smile. "If those monsters really are lurking around, it isn't safe for you to be outside. Let's get you home, sound good?"

"But what about the monsters?"

"Trust me Patrick, everything's going to be fine." Cassie said. "I'm sure the Power Rangers are already working on a way to stop those monsters."

Cassie and Katherine stood from the bench and offered a hand to Patrick. He took both their hands as they led him a few blocks over to a large apartment complex. Once they reached the boy's apartment, he grabbed the spare key from under the mat and unlocked the door.

"Okay Patrick, we're going to go now." Cassie said. "We'll be back to check on you in a little bit. No matter what happens, don't open the door unless you see me or Katherine. Close the blinds and lock the door so the monsters won't know you're home. Sound good?"

Patrick nodded, doing his best to put on a brave face in spite of being scared out of his mind. Cassie gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before watching him head inside. After hearing the lock click shut, she and Katherine ran down the main staircase of the building.

"Come in Andros." She said as she set up a communication link. "Katherine and I have a lead on the Craterites. They are disguising themselves as civilians. I'm not sure how they're doing it, but it must be some sort of optical illusion."

 **Are you sure?** Andros's voice floated through the communicator.

"Positive. We just ran into one of the kids from Adam and Carlos's soccer team. He seems pretty convinced that he saw his neighbors and a police officer's reflections. They look normal from the outside, but through a reflective surface, they appear as Craterites."

 **So if this kid said his friends and neighbors were really Craterites, what happened to the real ones?**

 **You guys!** Carlos's voice came flooding through the communication link. **Adam and I are under attack in the construction yard. We found a worker tied up in a supply truck and were attacked from behind. The Craterites are in disguise.**

 **You two hang tight.** Andros spoke up again. **We'll be there in a few.**

Cassie ended the link before extending her arm to Katherine. "Ready for a fight?"

Katherine nodded before wrapping her arms around Cassie's left. The Pink Astro Ranger then teleported away from the apartment complex towards the construction site.

* * *

Adam dove towards the ground as one of the Craterites tossed an emptied blue barrel towards him. The barrel hit the metal wall of the building behind him before bouncing twice and rolling across the ground. Adam then rolled back onto his feet and kicked the barrel back towards the Craterite, knocking him off his feet. Two more Craterites came charging towards the former Green Turbo Ranger and grabbed his arms, restraining him. Adam thrashed within their grip before he was tossed across the lot and sent skidding across the concrete. Adam grit his teeth as his skin was rubbed off his right elbow.

"Adam, you alright?" Carlos shouted from across the lot as he continued to block the Craterites punches.

"Never better." Adam responded through gritted teeth as he sat up.

Carlos ran towards the abandoned supply truck as two Craterites chased after him. Before one of the two could get a hold of him, he pulled the passenger door open and laughed as the Craterite ran face first into the opened door. He then jumped onto the hood of the truck and onto the roof of the rear end crate while the other Craterite chased after him. The two of them battled relentlessly, dodging punches and kicks as they struggled to gain the upper hand; but the Craterite managed to psych Carlos out with a fake punch before kicking him in the gut, sending him hurtling over the edge and onto the concrete below. Adam was sent flying across the lot by another Craterite before landing with a thud beside Carlos. The two of them scooted away from the Craterites as a new group appeared and began to close in on them as their backs met with the large wheel of the supply truck.

Just then, Andros appeared with Ashley and Tommy and they immediately got to work taking on the pink foot soldiers. Tommy didn't appear to be breaking a sweat as he knocked a few of the creatures over using a few open palmed thrusts and axe kicks to get the job done while Ashley and Andros worked together to take out their group.

The others managed to show up a few seconds later as they also joined in on the fight. Jason took down two of the creatures in just a few punches before heading over to take out another four while TJ used an abandoned pipe from nearby to take out a few of his own. Katherine and Cassie were working as a team to take out the creatures using a few backflips and fan kicks to take out and evade the onslaught of Craterites.

"You two alright?" Jason called out to them as he continued to fend off his attackers.

"It's about time you all showed up." Adam said with a laugh as he and Carlos stood to their feet.

The rangers and their allies managed to finish of the slew of Craterites in less than five minutes before regrouping to catch their breath.

"Man, did that bring back memories." Tommy said in between breaths.

"You said those things were training simulation foot soldiers?" Jason asked. "Man, they were tough. I'd rather fight a thousand Putties or Cogs than deal with those monstrosities again."

"Thanks for your help though." TJ said with a smile. "I don't think we'd be able to handle them all without you."

"Uh, guys…" Ashley said as she pointed off in the distance. The others looked up and groaned at the sight of a new army of Craterites heading towards them in full sprint.

"Oh yeah…there were a thousand of those things…" TJ said with a stale laugh.

"If you guys don't mind; I think we're going to sit this one out." Adam said with a nervous laugh. "I'm exhausted."

Andros regained his composure before moving to take the lead. Tommy and the others took a seat beside the supply truck and watched as Andros and the others pulled their sleeves up to reveal their Astro Morphers.

"Let's Rock It!" he shouted before they were enveloped in flashes of multicolored lights. As soon as they morphed into the Astro Rangers, they charged towards the approaching gang of Craterites.

"Neat trick." Katherine said. "Definitely a lot easier than using those blasted Turbo Morphers."

"You can say that again." Tommy agreed. "It took me almost a week of practicing to get those things down."

* * *

Andros summoned his Spiral Saber before leaping up into the air and bringing the bladed weapon down on a group of Craterites. He sliced through five of them before spinning around taking down another four who were coming at him from behind. He then dropped into a sweep kick, knocking another three onto their back before jumping back to his feet and charging towards another group.

Cassie ran towards a group of her own and leaped into the air before open firing using her Astro Blaster. She cheered mentally as the Craterites blew up into bursts of pink and blue sparks, leaving nothing but a trail of smoke in their wake. As she moved on to the next group, Carlos leaped down beside her and swung his Lunar Lance around, taking out a few of his own while TJ and Ashley worked together using hand-to-hand combat. The Craterites seemed to be going down a lot easier with the assistance of the Astro Ranger powers, and the rangers couldn't help but wonder why they didn't opt to morph in the first place.

Andros cut through the remaining group of Craterites and pumped his fist into the air victoriously as they vanished just like the rest of the defeated soldiers before running to regroup with his teammates.

"That takes care of them." Ashley said with a satisfied giggled.

"But that was just the beginning." Andros said, dampening their mood. "We managed to take out the ones in the construction site, but there's bound to be more throughout the city. We need to take care of them as soon as possible before someone gets hurt."

Just then, Andros's communicator began beeping. Realizing that it could only be a transmission from the Megaship, Andros answered the call.

"Go ahead Alpha."

 **Rangers, there are more Craterites at the beach. No wait, they're in Angel Grove Park. No! There are even more attacking in the woods. Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi!**

Andros exchanged a glance with all of his teammates; and in spite of the fact that they were all wearing helmets, he knew they were wearing troubled looks on their faces.

"That's three different locations." Cassie said. "And who knows how many Craterites are there. We can't take the risk of splitting up."

"Yeah, but if we don't, those areas could be overrun and innocent people could get hurt." Ashley pointed out.

"Maybe Tommy and the others can help?" Carlos suggested.

"No." TJ interjected. "There are way too many Craterites for them to take on without their powers. We can't risk them getting hurt or tiring out."

"Then splitting up is our only option." Andros said calmly. "Carlos and Ashley, you two head to the beach. TJ and Cassie, you guys go to the park. I'll handle the Craterites in the woods."

"By yourself?" Ashley asked, concern weighing heavily on her words.

"I'll be fine." He said reassuringly before resting a hand on her shoulder. "As soon as you guys clear up your areas, move on to help me. Got it?"

"Right." The others agreed.

* * *

Carlos and Ashley arrived at Angel Grove beach and looked around for any signs of the Craterites. All seemed quiet with the exception of the sound of waves splashing against the shore and seagulls crowing as they flew overhead. The two of them remained close as they walked across the beach, the wet sand sticking to the bottom of their boots. Just then a group of twenty Craterites appeared on the rocky cliffs just across the beach dancing and waving their arms about wildly.

"Let's take care of these guys quickly so we can go and help Andros." Carlos said as he summoned his Lunar Lance.

"Right." Ashley agreed. "Star Slinger!"

The yellow slingshot appeared in Ashley's hands on Command and she pulled the drawstring back and fired upon three of the creatures, sending them hurtling off the rocks and splashing into the ocean. She then ran towards the rocks, carefully jumping from one to another so she was positioned on the highest stone before dropping down on one knee and firing at two more Craterites as they approached her.

Across the beach, Carlos had planted the end of the Lunar Lance in the sand and was using it to spin around and kick four of the Craterites attacking him. The creatures flailed their arms about as they flew across the beach and landed with a thud on top of the sand. Carlos then moved towards another two and swung his staff hard, striking one of them upside their head and hitting another one in the throat. He then moved to join Ashley who was busy finishing off the last of the Craterites.

"That didn't take too long." She said as she gave him a high five.

"Right. Let's get back to the others."

* * *

Andros ran blindly through the woods as he was pursued by a group of Craterites. He was panting heavily after nearly five minutes of running, but the Craterites were right on his tail. The Red Ranger moved to hide behind the trunk of an old weeping willow tree and he watched as the Craterites continued to run past as though he were still continuing on a straight and narrow path. Just when he took a sigh of relief, a Craterite struck the trunk of the tree with its blade, causing the bark to splinter and rain down on Andros's head. He covered himself before rolling out of the way and onto his feet.

"Spiral Saber!" he shouted as he summoned his weapon to defend himself. As he and the Craterite's blades continued to clash the group that had been pursuing him earlier had already turned around and were heading straight towards him. Andros managed to defeat the Craterite who tried to sneak up on him, but he was tackled to the ground by the group that had turned around.

Andros slammed onto the forest floor, pine needles and woodchips pricking at his skin through the material of his suit as he raised his arms to defend himself from the Craterites' blows. Andros was then lifted off the ground before being tossed into the trunk of another tree. The Red Ranger groaned as he slowly sat up.

Just then an onslaught of pink energy rings struck the group of Craterites approaching him. Andros smiled as Cassie jogged over, her Satellite Stunner in hand, while TJ jogged up behind her holding the Astro Axe.

"Andros, are you okay?" TJ asked as he moved to help his friend up.

Before Andros could respond, TJ and Cassie were struck down by two blasts of orange energy. The rangers looked up in horror as more Craterites appeared around them. Cassie crawled across the ground to be closer to her teammates.

"There's too many of them." She panted. "They just won't stop appearing. I don't understand. Where are they all coming from?"

The three rangers were struck by another blast of orange energy and were sent flying through the woods before they landed with a thud in the center of the Craterite mob. Andros lifted his head to try and pinpoint the source of the orange blasts. His eyes finally rested on a Craterite that stepped into the center of the mob; but unlike the rest of the Craterites, he had black boots and a black mask instead of white boots and a gold mask.

"That's an interesting development." TJ said through gritted teeth as he held onto his side. "He must be the one calling the shots."

"We're going to need some help." Andros said. "Where are Ashley and Carlos?"

The black-faced Craterite raised his hands slowly and extended his fingers towards TJ and Cassie. Andros gasped as the two of them were pulled across the ground telekinetically. Andros threw his own hands forward to try and grab his friends, but the Craterite's telekinesis proved to be stronger. Cassie and TJ were pulled towards him before he wrapped his hands around their throats. TJ and Cassie struggled within his grip and screamed in agony as the Craterite electrocuted them using his powers. Andros watched, his eyes wide with horror as a power surge was sent through both of their suits. Overcome with anger, the Red Ranger stood to his feet and took hold of his Spiral Saber once more before charging towards the Craterite and striking him in the back of the head. The Craterite dropped the Pink and Blue Ranger who crawled away from him slowly, their skin tingling from the after effects of the Craterite's attack.

"W-what was t-that?" Cassie stammered as she tried to get a hold of herself.

Before Andros could answer, the black-faced Craterite was struck by a burst of yellow energy. The rangers looked in the direction from which the blast came and smiled as Ashley and Carlos appeared.

"You guys okay?" Ashley called out to them as she aimed her Star Slinger at the creature and backed away from it slowly.

"We're fine." TJ said reassuringly as the effects of the Craterite's attack finally wore off.

"You guys, what are they doing?" Cassie asked as she pointed back towards the Craterites. The rangers watched in confusion as the black-faced Craterite extended its arms towards the sky and let out a bubbly laugh as the other Craterites ran towards him and began piling on top of each other. The Craterites were enveloped by a bright flash of light before rematerializing into a large, mutant whose body was composed of the pink-suited creatures.

"That's a neat trick." Carlos said as he stared up at the monster towering overhead.

"Well we have a few tricks of our own." Andros said reassuringly before raising his right arm towards the sky. "We need Astro Megazord Power now!"

The rangers looked towards the sky and smiled at the sight of the Megaship coming into view overhead. The nose of the ship quickly parted, allowing the NASADA shuttle to depart as the Megaship quickly transformed into the body of the Megazord. Once the Zord finished its transformation and landed a few feet away from the Craterite mutant, the rangers placed their hands on their utility belts.

"Teleportation now!" they shouted before disappearing into five beams of light.

The rangers were quickly teleported onboard the Megazord and they wasted no time taking their seats. Once they were strapped in and had their controls in hand, they moved the Zord towards the monster.

The Craterite Mutant didn't appear to lose its speed in spite of growing larger in side. It leaped into the air before swinging its hand in a slicing motion across the Megazord's chest. They then repeated the same motion using its other arm. The Megazord stumbled back slightly, sparks shooting off its chest as it took the damage before raising its fist to block another punch. The Zord then wound up its right arm before sending a power punch to the Craterite's chest. The rangers cheered when they spied a gaping hole in the monster's chest, but their cheers died out as it slowly rebuilt itself quickly.

"Did you see that?" Carlos asked, his mouth agape.

"We need more power if we have any hope of destroying that thing." TJ realized.

 **Rangers, do you read me? Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi!**

"We read you loud and clear Alpha." Andros responded as he placed a hand on the communication button. "Please tell me you have some good news."

 **D.E.C.A. and I have finished the repairs for the Simudeck's computer system. We've even managed to create a virus that should delete the escaped Craterites.**

"That's great Alpha. You can delete them anytime now."

 **It isn't that simple Andros. The Craterites are outside of the Simudeck, therefore we can't administer the virus. However, if we can upload the virus into the Astro Megazord Blaster.**

"The Astro Megazord what?" Cassie repeated. "I didn't know we had a blaster in our arsenal."

 **Surprise, surprise! I'm transferring the virus to you now.**

Before the rangers could respond, the Craterite struck them again, causing alarms to go off within the cockpit.

"We just took a significant amount of damage." Ashley said as she pulled open a data screen on her monitor. "Thrusters are offline. Let's hope we don't have to make a flight anytime soon."

"Don't worry." Andros said. "Alpha's virus has just finished transferring. Astro Megazord Blaster, online!"

A large ray gun appeared within the right hand of the Megazord and Carlos and Ashley wasted no time firing the blaster. The rangers watched as several Craterites dropped from the body of the host, but the mutant was still standing and didn't appear to be going down anytime soon. Ashley gasped when she spied a small black dot on the mutant's chest.

"Look you guys." She said pointing towards the spot.

"It's that black-faced Craterite from earlier." Cassie said. "It must be the main operator of the mutant."

"Then let's take it out." Andros said as he pounded his fist into the palm of his hand. "Fire on my signal. Ready…"

The mutant began charging towards the Megazord, its eyes blazing with fury as it raised its arm for another punch.

"Fire!" Andros shouted.

Ashley slammed her hand down on the firing button and the rangers watched as a beam shot out of the blaster and struck the black-faced Craterite. The mutant disappeared in a large flash of light, leaving no indication behind that it had ever been there in the first place. The rangers cheered as they savored yet another victory.

* * *

"So then, we figured out that the black spot on the mutant's chest was actually the black-faced Craterite." Andros explained to Tommy and the others as they sat around a table at the Surf Spot. "So we used the virus that Alpha transferred to the Megazord Blaster and managed to take out the mutant. The best part is, with the black-faced Craterite destroyed, all of the remaining Craterites within Angel Grove disappeared as well."

"I'm glad you guys were able to get things worked out." Tommy said with a smile.

"Well, we couldn't have done it without your help." Cassie pointed out. "You guys may not be the Power Rangers anymore, but you guys still have quite a bit of skills when it comes to dealing with foot soldiers. Now we know we can count on you guys if we ever need your help again."

"Hey, we'll be there." Katherine said with a smile as she rested a hand on Cassie's shoulder. "Just say the word."

"So Andros, you're really from outer space?" Jason asked, changing the subject suddenly.

Andros nodded. "Yes. I'm from a space colony known as KO-35. It's lightyears away from here."

"That is so cool." Adam said with a smile. "I mean; we knew there were other life forms outside of the Milky Way Galaxy. Like Dulcea and the rangers from Aquitar; but the thought of there being other humans out there…it's mind boggling!"

"I agree." Katherine said with a nod. "I mean, you speak English so fluently. You blend in nicely here. I'd love to learn more about Karovian culture."

"I'd be glad to tell you about it sometime. Well, we'd better get going. We're already so far behind schedule thanks to this Craterite mishap. We'd better resume our search for Zordon immediately. Oh, but before I go…"

Andros reached into his pocket and pulled out two communicators before handing one to Tommy and the other to Adam.

"You're giving us communicators?" Adam asked, surprised etched in his features. "I don't understand. We wouldn't be of much use to you guys without our powers."

"I know that." Andros said with a smile. "These are just so we can keep in touch. I figured you'd want to be the first ones to know when we find Zordon. This way, you guys will be up to speed with everything we're doing. We're just a call away."

"Thanks man." Tommy said as he strapped the communicator onto his wrist, relishing in the feeling that a missing piece of him had been restored.

"Well guys, let's get going." Andros said as he and the others stood from their seats. "Don't forget Tommy. You're just a call a way."

Tommy nodded as he watched Andros and the others head out of the Surf Spot. He then looked down at the shiny new communicator strapped to his wrist and smiled.

"Yeah, a call away."

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. I am finishing edits on the next chapter after I post this story, so you shouldn't have to wait too long for the next update. Review!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	11. Matters of the Heart

**A/N:** **I know I've been absent for a while; but this chapter took me so long to write because I was constantly unsatisfied with the ending results. Like seriously, I have rewritten this chapter about six times. In all honesty, I'm still not completely satisfied; but this is the happiest I've been with this chapter since I began drafting. So, sorry for the wait lol**

 **Thanks to everyone who left a review for the previous chapter. I love that you are all satisfied with the changes I have made to the original episodes and to the series overall. You guys are awesome!**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Matters of the Heart"**_

Astronema sat on her throne glaring out at the window in front of her. There was nothing particular within her view; just the endless black void of outer space and billions of stars stretching on for miles. The air vents hummed overhead as she sat in silence, her gloved fingers of her right hand drumming against the arm rest of her throne while the fingers of her left hand twisted a lock of white hair around lazily.

The sliding doors of the throne room slid open as Ecliptor stepped into the room, his heavy footsteps clanking against the metal floor as he approached his princess and dropped down onto one knee to bow respectfully.

"I have returned Astronema." His low voice rumbled throughout the room. "Elgar said you wished to speak with me upon my return."

"Yes." She spoke, her voice monotonic as she continued to glare out the window. "The fortress managed to detect the Astro Megaship passing through the vicinity approximately three hours ago. I was waiting for you to return so we can execute my latest plan."

"I see my princess; and what might that plan be exactly?"

Astronema was silent for a moment and Ecliptor raised his head, confused by her silence. When he noticed the distant look in her eyes, concern wormed its way onto his features; but he silenced his thoughts as Astronema stood from her throne and descended the steps, her hips swaying as she moved.

"The Rangers are really becoming a thorn in my side and I can't help but to berate myself for allowing that pathetic excuse of a Red Ranger to escape KO-35's destruction. I should have killed him when I had the chance and smeared his blood across the ground and watch it seep into the dirt for refuge. I want his head Ecliptor. I want him erased from existence! If he had perished along with his friends, then he wouldn't have recruited those failures formerly known as the Turbo Rangers to help him do his bidding. It makes me sick to my stomach."

Ecliptor stood to his feet and approached Astronema from behind, resting a hand on her shoulder. He felt her relax at his touch before she leaned back and rested her head against his chest.

"Something is troubling you, and I know it isn't the Red Ranger and his recruits." Ecliptor spoke, his chest rumbling with each word against the back of Astronema's head. "You are my daughter and I wish to comfort you if you will allow it."

"I don't need your pity or comfort Ecliptor." She snapped suddenly, pulling herself away from him and spinning around to shoot him a malicious glare. "What I need is for the Red Ranger to be destroyed, and I have the _perfect_ plan."

"How may I be of assistance then? I have an old score of my own to settle with the Red Astro Ranger."

"You will have your chance Ecliptor; but first, I have a few matters of my own to settle with the Red Ranger. He will come to the Dark Fortress willingly and meet his fate."

"How do you propose we do that?"

Astronema motioned for Ecliptor to come closer, wiggling her right index finger before leaning close to whisper into his ear. "It's simple really. It deals with matters of the heart."

Astronema stormed out of the room and Ecliptor followed after her as they made their way to the bridge. All of the henchman present turned to their princess and bowed respectfully as she eyed them carefully.

"Set a course for Quadrant 87. We have an urgent appointment with Malik."

Ecliptor's eyes widened at the command, but he did not question his princess as she got to work helping the Quantrons plug in the routing coordinates. What was Astronema's plan exactly and how was Malik from the planet of illusion going to help her?

* * *

"Steady your breathing." Andros instructed calmly. "Clear your thoughts of all your stresses and worries as you find a focal point, a calming place of refuge."

Andros opened an eye to take a peek at Ashley who was sitting in the lotus position beside him. The two were currently sitting on the Simudeck in a simulation of a grassy field on KO-35. There were hundreds of purple, orange, and red tinted flowers surrounding them. A breeze would occasionally brush through petals, causing a sweet floral scent to fill their nostrils. It was a beautiful setting and very calming to the Yellow Ranger. The only thing missing was the sound of a river flowing or a waterfall; but KO-35 had no natural water resources and minimal animal life, so she had to find peace without it.

"So, how exactly does meditation help with telekinesis?" Ashley asked, her eyes remaining closed.

"It is important to have clear and undisturbed thoughts when you are first learning the technique." Andros responded. "In order to use telekinetic abilities, you have to unlock the power stored in your mental core. When your mind is clear and at ease, it makes breaking down that barrier a lot easier. Once the mental door is unlocked, you will have the ability to tap into your telekinetic abilities easier. Mastering them will take years of practice, but you should get the hang of it in time."

He could hear Ashley hum in response and couldn't help but to spare a glance at her again. He opened his eyes and studied her intently as she sat upright in her lotus position, her eyes closed, her fanned eyelashes lightly touching her cheekbones. She looked very calm and relaxed, almost like she was sleeping. Andros felt drawn to her in that moment and he couldn't help but to admire her beauty- the height of her cheekbones, the warm glow of her cheeks, her long hair cascading down her back in golden brown waves. He couldn't stop the warm feeling welling up in the pit of his stomach that tickled his insides and filled him with uncertainty. He had been feeling this way towards his Yellow Ranger for a while and no matter how hard he tried to resist these new feelings, they always seemed to come back.

Ashley opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow when she spied her Karovian friend looking at her.

"What?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face.

Andros's cheeks reddened as he cleared his throat. "It's nothing. I was just taking note of how relaxed you seem to be. I think we can try breaking down your mental barrier now."

Ashley's facial expression lit up at the suggestion and she nodded her head eagerly. Andros scooted over towards her, the grass crunching beneath his weight as he repositioned himself. He then held both his hands out for Ashley to take. Gently, she placed her hands in his and smiled nervously as her stomach began to flutter.

"Now, close your eyes for me again. I need you to focus and retreat back to your focal point."

Andros watched as Ashley did what she was told, but before he could give her the next set of instructions, the Megaship's alarms started blaring all around them.

"D.E.C.A., stop simulation." Andros commanded as he stood to his feet quickly, the simulation disappearing all around them. He reached down and took Ashley's hand to pull her to her feet before the two of them jogged down the hall towards the bridge. Carlos and the others were just arriving when the two of them got there.

"D.E.C.A., what's happening?" Andros asked as he and the others rushed over to the monitor.

 **My sensors have picked up on a strong life force within the nearby Quadrant 87.**

"Can you pinpoint the exact location of the life force?"

 **Yes. The Life Force is located on the planet Jenovore. I also detect several smaller life forces near the larger force and they don't appear to be moving.**

"Do you think it could be Zordon?" Cassie wondered, causing her teammates to think the same thing. "He would naturally give off a large power source, and the smaller life forces could belong to foot soldiers like Quantrons or Piranhatrons."

"She's right Andros." TJ said. "We should probably go and check things out, even if the lead turns out to be false."

"You're right. D.E.C.A., set a course for Jenovore." The Megaship made an abrupt turn and the rangers steadied themselves against the Megaship's controls while the turn was completed before running to take theirs seats. Andros quickly pulled up a viewing screen in place of the windshield as an image of a rotating gray planet came into view.

 **This is Jenovore, home of the Jenovan people.** D.E.C.A. spoke. **The planet has an underground water source that can only be accessed via a long cave system. The planet is comprised of gray dirt, mountains, and plateaus. There are no animals and no plant life. Temperatures average between sixty and seventy degrees average. The sun only shines for three hours each day. The Jenovan people survive mostly off of natural, edible rocks found on the planet.**

"They eat rocks?" Ashley repeated as she scrunched up her face in disgust.

"If the planet is shrouded in moonlight for a majority of the day, it would explain why Dark Specter would have Zordon stored there." TJ pointed out. "The cover of nightfall would make it harder to find him. Then there's the cave system underneath the planet's surface."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Andros said as the Megaship slowed to a stop just outside of Jenovore's orbit. "Let's get down there and search."

* * *

Andros and the other rangers touched down on Jenovore and looked around at their surroundings. They had arrived during one of the three hours in which the sun was in the sky, which made it easier to see. The gray landscape stretched on for miles like on ocean of mixed concrete and the teens could see large rock structures off in the distance.

TJ pulled out a scanner and activated it while the others peered over his shoulder. Readings indicated that the large life force D.E.C.A. had picked up on earlier was nearly twenty miles away from their current location. Andros shielded his eyes as he looked up at the sun positioned in the sky.

"I estimate we only have an hour and a half left of daylight." He said. "We'd better start our search before then. Let's rock it!"

The rangers quickly morph into their power suits before summoning their Galaxy Gliders. They decide to split up to avoid being detected easily- TJ and Carlos together, Cassie and Ashley together, and Andros by himself.

* * *

"So, what were you and Andros up to before our briefing today?" Cassie asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Nothing really." Ashley said as they veered around the corner of a plateau and headed towards a set of caves. "We were having a meditation session. He says meditation is the key to breaking down the mental barriers that block telepathy. We were actually making a lot of progress."

"You two have been spending a lot of time together lately. In fact, I think you've gotten closer to Andros within the past month than the rest of us have. He trusts you, and if I didn't know any better, I'd swear that he was starting to develop feelings for you."

Ashley was silent for a moment as she thought over Cassie's words. It was true. She and Andros had been spending a lot of time together even when they weren't training or searching for Zordon. She enjoyed spending time with him, teaching him about the culture of earth and learning new things about KO-35. She had to admit, she could feel a bond between herself and the Karovian teen.

"I'm not sure if he feels anything romantic towards me, at least not yet." Ashley finally spoke. "But I can feel a spark when I'm with him Cassie. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Besides, I don't want to scare Andros off by telling him how I feel. I mean, what if he's never been in a relationship before? KO-35 was conquered when he was just sixteen. Who's to say whether or not he was involved with anyone at the time?"

"You may not see it Ash, but I certainly do. He may have a different way of displaying his feelings than earthlings do, but Andros has a crush on you."

Ashley was about to protest when suddenly, her communicator started beeping. She and Ashley skidded to a stop on their gliders and moved to take cover behind a large boulder before she raised her wristwatch to her mouth.

"This is Ashley, go ahead."

" **Hey guys, it's TJ. We've definitely spotted some suspicious activity going on inside one of the caves. There's a hookup just like the one we found on that jungle planet back in the Karova System. There are Quantrons everywhere standing guard, but there's no tube."**

"Maybe they're waiting for Zordon to be transported here?" Cassie suggested. "Dark Specter probably moves him around to avoid detection. Send us your coordinates and we'll be right there."

" **See you in a few."** TJ said before ending the link.

Cassie and Ashley exchanged a glance as the coordinates scroll across the visors of their helmet. They then rev up the engines of their boards before turning around and heading towards the cave system.

* * *

Andros walked through the damp and dark halls of a cave as he held his scanner out in front of him while holding a flashlight in the other hand, it's red glow illuminating the cave. Readings showed that the cave held various minerals that could be used to duplicate some of the medicines used by the Karovian people. He walked in silence, the only sounds accompanying him being the squishing of the mud on the ground against his boots, his scanner's occasional beeping, and the whistling sound of the wind echoing throughout the caves. The entire cave smelled like wet sand after a rainstorm and there were jagged rocks sticking out everywhere.

There were several structures protruding from the walls with cloths laying over the top almost like bedding units, but Andros had yet to see a single Jenovan since arriving on the planet.

"Something isn't right here…" he realized as he stopped his trek through the cave and looked around.

 _Andros…._

Andros's eyes widened as the sound of his name being whispered echoed throughout the cave. He spun around and shone the flashlight all around in search of the voice's owner, but found none. He turned back around to scan the area in front of him but still found no one. Hesitantly, he took a step forward before beginning his trek again.

 _Andros…_

"Who's there?" he shouted, his eyes narrowing as he looked around once more; but still, he found no one.

The sound of his communicator beeping startled the Red Ranger and he jumped before placing a hand over his racing heart.

"This is Andros, go ahead."

" **Andros, it's Ashley. TJ and Carlos managed to find a hookup just like the one we found on the jungle planet we ventured to a few weeks ago. There's an army of Quantrons guarding it. We think someone might be transporting Zordon to this location."**

"That's great Ash. I think I might have found something too."

" **Really, what?"**

"I'm not sure yet. Look, you guys go ahead and investigate. I'll come and meet up with you as soon as I can. If you run into any trouble before then, contact me."

" **But what about you? Do you need back up?"**

"I'll be fine Ashley. I'll see you in a few."

Andros ended the communication link before heading further into the cave. After five minutes of walking, he entered into a large portion of the cave with high rock ceilings and a waterfall. Light was filtering into the room through a gap in the ceiling, causing the water to sparkle. The gray rocks and rock structures spewed throughout the cave seemed almost pink under the sun's faint glow. The sight was absolutely breathtaking.

The Red Ranger paused his sight-seeing venture when his scanner suddenly began beeping. He raised an eyebrow before swiping a finger across the screen. Several abnormal readings were going across the screen at once and it was hard for Andros to make sense of what the scanner was detecting. Just then, a blast of purple energy struck the scanner, knocking it out of his hand and sending it skidding across the cave floor.

Andros tensed up and turned in the direction from whence the blast came. He felt his nostrils flare as his lips curled into a ferocious snarl. Astronema approached him with a smirk on her face, her hips swaying from side to side as she approached him.

"All alone, are we Red Ranger?"

"What the hell are you doing here Astronema?"

She paused her stride, sticking a hip out to the side and folding her arms across her chest. "I'm just here taking care of a few business matters. I don't recall you being invited."

"Where's Zordon?" Andros demanded as he summoned his Spiral Saber and aimed it at her.

"Even if he was here, I wouldn't tell you. I have to say Red Ranger; I'm awfully surprised that you've chosen to go it alone. Jenovore is a very dangerous place. You've basically signed your own death wish."

Astronema summoned her staff and aimed it directly at the Red Ranger, a devilish grin on her face. The two of them began to walk in circles around the cave, their eyes never leaving each other's. Andros could hear his heart pounding in his ears. His face was hot and his jaw was clenched tight as he tried to remain in control of his anger. He was finally alone with the evil monarch responsible for destroying his planet and killing his friends.

"I shall have my revenge." Andros growled.

"So will I." Astronema said before firing a blast of purple electricity at him. Andros dove out of the way as the attack struck the wall right behind where he was standing. Rocks and debris spit up into the air, small pebbles and dust hitting the back of his suit.

The Red Ranger rolled back onto his feet before charging towards Astronema and swinging his Spiral Saber. She raised her staff and blocked his weapon, a loud metallic clanking sound echoing throughout the cavern. She then kneed him the stomach before slamming her staff down on his back. Andros face planted on the muddy floor of the cave and cried out in pain as Astronema dug the heel of her boot into his back. She then kicked him in his side and watched him roll over.

"You should've just died along with your pathetic excuses of teammates and you wouldn't be in this situation now. I don't know how you survived that day, but I'll having you begging for me to end your life by the time I'm through with you."

Andros growled angrily before extending his right hand towards Astronema and using his telekinesis to pry her staff from her fingers. He tossed the staff aside before standing to his feet and using both his hands to lift her off the ground before tossing her into a nearby wall. She cried out as the jagged surface cut into her skin.

"Murderer." He growled. "You are a senseless, power hungry murderer and you will _pay_ for what you did to them!"

Andros could feel himself tiring out from overusing his telekinetic abilities. Typically, he could move smaller objects with no problem, but using both arms to lift a person who was well over the average lifting weight of forty pounds was beginning to take its toll. Astronema could feel the invisible force holding her starting to waver and smirked before moving her arm and firing an energy blast at Andros. He was knocked off his feet and sent skidding across the ground. He barely had time to recover before she shocked him again.

The Red Ranger lifted his head slowly and groaned as he struggled to stay conscious. His head was pounding and his vision was starting to blur. He gasped when the power of his suit suddenly faded, leaving him exposed in front of his enemy.

"Now Malik!" Astronema shouted as she dusted the debris from her cat suit and strode over to the Red Ranger. Andros could feel a pair of cold, slimy hands touch his temples. Suddenly, a clawing pain could be felt inside his skull almost like someone was scraping the inside of his head with a razor sharp knife. He began thrashing around on the ground, crying out in pain as he begged for his attacker to stop. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Astronema smirking down at him from above.

* * *

"We're here TJ." Cassie said as she and Ashley jogged up behind the Black and Blue Astro Rangers. TJ and Carlos were crouched down behind a large stone column watching the Quantrons who had yet to notice them.

"Anything happened yet?" Ashley wondered.

"No." Carlos said. "We've been watching them for twenty minutes now, but they've yet to make a move. Hell, they aren't even saying anything."

"Things are definitely quiet, that's for sure." TJ said.

Ashley pulled her scanner out and was surprised that it was no longer beeping. In fact, the large life force that the scanner had picked up on earlier was no longer showing up on the screen.

"That's odd." Ashley said as she swiped her index finger across the screen. "My scanner isn't detecting any life force. It's not picking up on anything."

"Neither is mine." Carlos said as he switched his scanner to a different viewing screen. "I don't understand. We all had a clear signal earlier, what happened?"

"Something isn't right here." Cassie said as she stood to her feet and began walking towards the Quantrons.

"Cassie, don't!" TJ shouted. "What are you doing?"

Cassie continued to walk towards the fleet of Quantrons and to the others surprise, the Quantrons weren't moving or acknowledging her presence. Cassie stopped directly in front of one of the Quantrons and waved a hand in front of its face. When it still refused to acknowledge her, she moved to poke its shoulder, only to find that her hand passed right through it.

"They're not real!" she shouted. Suddenly, the entire fleet disappeared leaving nothing but the empty hookup and a muddy cave floor behind.

"We've been fooled." TJ said. "But why?"

"Someone obviously tried to lure us here knowing that we would go after a large power source." Carlos pointed out. "This has Astronema written all over it."

"Oh no, Andros!" Ashley shouted as she quickly set up a communication link. "Andros, come in…Andros? Andros, answer me please!"

The only response the Yellow Ranger could get was the never ending sound of static cracking through her communicator speaker.

"Andros said he thought he had found something when I contacted him earlier. I told him to meet up with us, but he said he'd rendezvous later."

"Something tells me that Astronema lured us here to get to Andros." TJ said. "The question is, why?"

"D.E.C.A., send us the coordinates of the Red Astro Morpher." Carlos spoke through a separate communication link.

 **Understood. Sending coordinates now.**

* * *

It was dark and cold, that much Andros knew. He wasn't entirely sure where he was. All he knew is that he was alone and he felt sick. His body felt heavy as though something was weighing down on his shoulders and he had a splitting headache that wouldn't seem to go away. What was going on? Where was he?

Slowly, the Red Ranger's senses began to fade in one by one. He could hear a constant beeping sound. It was electronic as though it was coming from a computer. He could also hear air vents running overhead and distant murmuring. His sense of smell faded in next and his stomach began to churn as an overpowering smell of bleach and sterile cleaners filled his nose. He could feel something sharp protruding from his arm and he could feel a blanket laying on top of him. He was lying on something that was both soft and uncomfortable at the same time. A stiff mattress possibly. His mouth was extremely dry as though he hadn't opened it in a while. He desperately needed a drink of water and a toothbrush.

Slowly, Andros found the strength to open his eyes and he was immediately blinded by a bright white light. He squeezed his eyes shut before turning his head. The sight of what he saw literally made his breath catch in his throat.

Adia was sitting beside him, her hand resting on his left thigh and her head on the mattress as she snoozed quietly. Tears filled the red ranger's eyes at the sight of her. She was as beautiful as he remembered. Strawberry blonde hair in waves cascading down her back and hanging over her arms like a curtain as she slept. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up.

"Oh my God, he's awake." He could hear a voice coming from the other side of the room. Andros looked up and was surprised to see a Karovian doctor dressed in an oversized purple lab coat, a clipboard in her hand and her hair done up in two spiraled pigtails.

"What's going on?" Andros asked, his voice hoarse.

"Andros?" Adia's voice greeted his ears. Andros turned to find her awake and staring at him, tears in her green eyes and her bottom lip quivering. "Thank goodness, you're finally awake!"

Adia threw her arms around Andros's neck and hugged him tight. He winced as she unintentionally put pressure on his wounds, but he finally found the strength to hug her back.

"I don't understand…what's going on?"

"Dark Specter launched a surprise attack on the colony." Adia said as she released him and wiped the tears from her eyes. "We were all at the baby shower and Zhane came running in to warn us. We all went into battle and…things got bad, very bad. Cain and the others were forced to help us. We had to evacuate as many people as possible including the Grand Elder. We were all injured during battle and things seemed pretty grim. Astronema struck me with one of her attacks and you lost it. You charged her in a blind rage and nearly got yourself killed in an explosion. You've been in a coma ever since."

"No, that's not possible." Andros said as he ran a hand through his hair. "You…you're dead…you died in my arms Adia, I'm sure of it. The others, they all died too. Zhane was the only one who lived. I pulled him from the rubble and took all your morphers and went after Astronema on my own."

Adia gave Andros a confused look. "Honey, no…you must have been dreaming. Look, I know this is a lot for you to take in and it's going to take some time-"

"No." Andros cut her off before pushing the blankets off himself and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "This isn't real. None of this is real. I'm dreaming."

"Andros please!" Adia begged as she gently pushed her hand against his chest to stop him from standing. Gently, she grabbed his face with both of her hands and looked into his eyes. Andros suddenly felt at ease and relaxed.

"It was all a dream…?" he said slowly. "So Zordon was never captured then…"

"Of course not." Adia said with a smile. "The Grand Elder just met with Zordon. Zhane accompanied him. He should be arriving back any day now. Andros, I know that you need time to adjust to all of this, but everything is alright now. You don't have to worry."

"So…what happened to Astronema then?"

"She's dead." Another voice came from the doorway. Andros turned and couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face as Cain stepped into the room with Koyu, Malina, and Andante.

"Well, look who's finally conscious." Koyu said with a smirk as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"You're a hero Andros." Malina said with a smile as Andante wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "A tad bit crazy, but a hero nonetheless. You saved us all."

* * *

"You guys, we have to hurry." Ashley said as she leaned forward on her Galaxy Glider to accelerate faster towards the Red Astro Morpher's signal.

"Ash, slow down." TJ said. "I know you're worried about him. We all are; but we could very well be walking right into a trap. We need to strategize."

"TJ is right Ashley." Cassie said in a consoling tone to try and comfort her best friend. "It's more than obvious now that Andros was Astronema's target the entire time, but we need to figure out what she wants with him."

"You guys seriously don't know?" Ashley scoffed. "You guys, Astronema is Andros's number one enemy. He hates her more than he hates Dark Specter. She is responsible for killing his teammates and wreaking havoc upon his planet. Astronema thought she destroyed the Astro Rangers but she didn't know that Andros lived. She sees him as a threat and will do anything to neutralize him. We have to do something!"

"And we will Ashley." Carlos said reassuringly. "We just have to think logically about things. Astronema knows that we will come for Andros and we have to be on the offensive. Don't let your rage and concern blind your judgment, okay."

Ashley slowed to a stop and the others stopped right beside her. She clenched her fists tight, but they slowly loosened as she sighed.

"You're right." She said as she thought back to her meditation session with the Red Ranger earlier that day. She was currently stressed out over not knowing where the Red Ranger was and was losing sight of her focal point. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself before turning to her friends.

"Let's move."

* * *

Adia wheeled Andros through the main hall of HQ, a smile on her face as she pushed him towards his dormitory room. Andros was a little embarrassed about being wheeled around, but he knew that Adia meant well. From what his teammates told him, he had been in a coma for a little over three months after the explosion that took Astronema's life and nearly took his own. He had a severe concussion and swelling in the brain after the explosion, not to mention the fact that he'd broken three ribs, dislocated his shoulder, and tore his ACL. He was in pretty bad shape when a few of the surviving colonists found him; but they had gotten him to the hospital just in time.

Andros was still trying to process the fact that everything he thought had happened over the course of two years were simply comatose dreams. His friends were all alive and well and he no longer felt guilt gnawing at him from the inside out. In fact, he felt happier than he had ever felt in his entire life. He was deemed as a hero and the Grand Elder was even planning on holding a ceremony for him later on during the week to celebrate his victory as Red Ranger. Yes, Dark Specter was still alive and well and Ecliptor had managed to escape and leave his princess behind on the battlefield; but Astronema who had terrorized him and his team for their first year as rangers was dead and gone and she was never coming back.

Even though Andros was relieved that he and his friends survived the battle, he still couldn't help but to feel as though something was amiss with the strange dream he had. Surely he couldn't have imagined all of those feelings he harbored over his teammates dying; and what of the former Turbo Rangers from the distant planet earth he had befriended in his dream? It had all felt so real and a part of him actually missed the smiling faces of his imaginary teammates.

"Here we are." Adia said cheerfully before moving to type his access code into the wall panel. The door to his room slid open slowly and she wheeled him inside before shutting the door behind him. Andros looked around the room with a smile on his face. Everything was in its place and his bed was made perfectly, exactly the way he left it. His teammates always poked fun at him and his tidiness.

Andros thanked Adia before slowly standing from the wheelchair and making his way over to the leather recliner in the corner of the room. He sunk down into the chair and took in the white-walled room all around him. He felt at peace. He felt at home.

"My parents…do they know I've awoken?" Andros couldn't help but wonder.

Adia nodded as she took a seat on the armrest and began to massage his shoulders, her hands kneading the built up tension away from his joints.

"Cain got in touch with them after the evacuation. A few of the escapees are too afraid to return to the colony so they've decided to take up shelter elsewhere until Dark Specter is destroyed. Your parents agreed to be supervisors of a temporary colony; but they promised to come and visit. You can always set up a holographic link if needed."

Silence overcame the two rangers as they contemplated what to say to each other next. Andros was at a complete loss. After all, he had just woken up from a terrible nightmare in which Adia was gone and he would never have the chance to see her again; yet there they were sitting in an awkward silence and not a single thing could come to mind.

Andros was pulled from his thoughts when Adia released his shoulders and stood from the armrest, her back facing towards him as she played absent-mindedly with her hair.

"Adia, are you okay?" Andros asked slowly as he leaned towards the edge of his seat.

She spun around quickly and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something stupid, that's all."

"Spill it." Andros said, the corner of his mouth curving up into a smirk. "We don't keep secrets from each other, remember?"

"Of course I remember. It's just that…well, I feel sort of embarrassed. I actually feel nervous being around you right now. Kind of like…when we first met."

Andros felt his heart warm at her confession and stood onto two wobbly legs. Adia was by his side in an instant, her arm around his waist and another around his shoulders to support him. The two of them locked eyes for a second, but it seemed like an eternity. Slowly, Andros raised his right hand and cupped her cheek before leaning in and taking her lips captive in a slow, tender kiss. When their lips parted, Andros rested his forehead against hers.

"I was so scared." She whispered, her voice small and helpless like that of a small child. "I thought you were never going to wake up."

Andros could feel her shaking and leaned away from her, his heart twisting painfully at the sight of tears streaming down her cheeks. He reached his hand up and gently wiped the tears with the pad of his thumb.

"Andros, you're all I've got…I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"Hey, it's alright." He said comfortingly as he began to run his fingers through her hair. "I'm here and I'm alright. We're together and we have each other. Nothing else matters, okay?"

Adia looked into his eyes and smiled as she was overcome with a sense of security. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his once more, her fingers weaving their way into his brown and blonde tresses. Andros's arms wormed their way around her waist as he pulled her close to him, never wanting to let her go.

* * *

 **Astronema, word is spreading throughout the galaxy that a new team of Power Rangers is on the move overrunning my Quantrons and ruining my plans. I assume that meddlesome Red Ranger spy is to blame for these current events.**

Astronema held her head high as she faced the communication screen with Elgar and Ecliptor standing silently by her side.

"Unfortunately Dark Specter, the rumors are true. Divatox's foot soldiers may have destroyed the Command Center back on earth, but they made the cruel mistake of leaving the earth's current rangers powerless, but alive. The Red Ranger of KO-35 has recruited them to be members of his new team; but just like his old teammates, they will fail miserably. I am terribly sorry for the continuous foiling of our plans; but I can assure you my liege, the rangers are far from winning. They can savor the sweet taste of victory every now and again, but it is I who will be victorious in the end."

 **I know you will not disappoint me Astronema. You have my complete trust and faith. I know that you have what it takes to destroy the rangers and to prevent them from finding their mentor Zordon. I also know that you will not fail in bringing me that treacherous Red Ranger.**

Astronema's infamous smirk appeared on her face as she nodded once. The communication link cut off to black screen and Astronema sighed before turning around and heading towards the door. She carelessly twisted a lock of her hair around her finger as she hummed to herself.

"Uh, pardon me Astronema." Elgar's obnoxious voice echoed throughout the chamber. "I don't mean to tell you how to do your job and all, but don't you think you should have told Dark Specter that you already have the Red Ranger in custody?"

"Hold your tongue cretin." Ecliptor snapped.

"That's right Elgar." Astronema said as she turned around and folded her arms across her chest. "My kidnapping of the Red Ranger today has nothing to do with Dark Specter's orders. This is all a part of my own personal endeavor. No butt out or get out. Do I make myself clear?"

"Uh, yeah! You got it boss lady!"

Astronema rolled her eyes before turning around and summoning a portal. She quickly disappeared from the confines of the Dark Fortress and reappeared inside a secluded cave on Jenovore. She couldn't stop a sadistic smile from spreading across her face when she spied an unconscious Andros lying on top of a slab of stone in the center of the cavern while Malik stood above him with his hands pressed to his temple.

Malik is a Jenovan and one of the most powerful beings on the entire planet. He has the appearance of a human with slimy green skin that has the appearance of snake scales. His eyes are pure black with fluorescent blue irises, pink lips, black fingernails, and he has two feelers sticking off his forehead. He was currently garbed in a black cloak with red accents and a red sash tied around his waist. The hood of his cloak was up leaving only his face, feelers, and hands visible.

"How's he doing?" Astronema asked with a satisfied smirk as she approached the slab and leaned over the un-morphed Red Ranger.

"He is deep within the illusion as we speak." Malik spoke, his voice very low and raspy. "The illusion you ordered me to create has captured him completely. I sense very little doubt in his mind. He believes what he is seeing to be real."

"Excellent."

"Forgive me for asking Astronema, and feel free to deny telling me anything at all, but why exactly did you request I trap this boy within an illusion? I am sure that you can sense his teammates heading straight towards us. They will engage me in battle and disrupt the illusion. So I'll ask again, what is the point of all this?"

"I'm going to hit the Red Ranger where it hurts most." She said, her face darkening. "The heart. Allowing Andros to believe that his deceased teammates are actually alive and well and that the past two years of his life have all been a dream…it's mental torture, don't you see Malik?"

"I know the Power Rangers are your enemies, and for good reason might I add; but this plan of yours seems rather personal…what did the guy ever do to you?"

Astronema's face softened and Malik watched as her eyes were filled with sadness. Something was clearly gnawing at her on the inside and the Red Ranger was definitely a major part of it.

* * *

" _You can't do this Astronema…please!"_

" _I'm sorry, but orders are orders." Astronema said as she clutched the bed sheets tightly to her bare chest. "I am ordered to attack when the sun is highest in the sky."_

" _You don't have to do his bidding. You have proven to me that you aren't this cold-hearted witch the entire galaxy makes you out to be. Dark Specter doesn't care about you. He's only using you to do his evil bidding and you know it. You've said to me countless times that you're just a prisoner who follows his orders to avoid death and to maintain the free reign he has given you. Well, I'm giving you a door out. Come with me to KO-35 and leave this life behind. My friends and I…we can all protect you."_

" _No you can't!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. He stared at her in shock for a while, her shoulders rising and falling as she tried to calm herself. "No one can save me from him…he will stop at nothing to kill you; and your friends will never accept me. Look at the things I've done to them and your people. I have killed and destroyed, it's what I do. I am incapable of being a decent human being."_

" _If you attack tomorrow…you know I'll have to stop you. I will not abandon my people and I can't abandon Andros. He is my best friend. My brother."_

" _You are really going to choose him over the woman you love?"_

 _Astronema could feel her throat closing up at the very thought. Her eyes were burning and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She had never felt such emotions before and she wished more than anything that they would disappear. The thought of him leaving her and never coming back all because of his friends…the thought was too much to bear._

" _I'm sorry." He said as he stood from the mattress and gathered his things._

" _Don't do this…" she begged as he finished dressing himself. He paused in the doorway and gave her one final glance before disappearing from sight._

" _Zhane, please don't go!"_

* * *

"Astronema?" Malik called out to the dark princess for the fifth time. Astronema jumped from her thoughts and turned to the green man. "Are you alright? I lost you for a second there."

Astronema's sadness quickly vanished and was replaced with rage and hatred as she glared down at Andros's slumbering form.

"You took away the most important thing in my life." She said through gritted teeth. "You're the reason he went back…you're the reason he's _dead_."

Malik watched Astronema in silence, fearful that if he spoke she would redirect her hatred at him. When she shot her head in his direction, he jumped in nervousness.

"You make sure he has a good time while he's in there. I want to be sure to rub salt in all of those open wounds. The rangers will be coming for him soon. Be sure to distract them long enough so my men can completely remove all traces of Zordon from this planet."

"Has he finished being relocated?"

Astronema nodded once. "I just received word that he's settling in nicely at his new venue. I will send you payment once I'm sure he can't be detected."

Malik nodded as Astronema turned and left through a portal. He then turned his attention back to Andros. The Astro Rangers of KO-35 were heroes who fought for justice and peace. He was a villain who used his telepathic abilities to torture others and earn hefty payments from clients. He and Andros were on opposite sides of the galactic law; so why did he suddenly feel guilty for toying with his conscience?

* * *

Andros took a deep breath as he stared up at the ceiling of his chambers. Adia was snuggled up against his bare chest as he ran his fingers through her hair, mentally recalling their previous activities. Andros couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy. Astronema was gone for good and was never coming back. He had become a hero that saved KO-35 from ultimately being destroyed. The terrible nightmare from which he suffered during his coma was slowly fading away and he could barely remember any details other than the fact that he had been miserable and lonely. The nightmare was now a distant memory and he could focus on more important things.

"What are you thinking about?" Adia's melodic voice flowed through his ears, causing him to smile as he looked down to meet her gaze.

"A lot of things." He admitted. "I was mostly thinking about you…and how much I love you."

Adia smiled before leaning up to place a quick kiss on his lips. She seemed so bubbly and happy, a stark contrast from how she had been earlier.

The door suddenly flew open and Adia shrieked before pulling the blankets over her naked form to hide herself from the intruder. Andros looked up prepared to give his visitor a berating; but when he saw the smiling face of his bleach blonde friend, he couldn't help but to smile.

"Zhane, you're back!"

"And you're awake." Zhane said, his infamous grin growing wider. "I see you wasted no time jumping your girlfriend."

"Would you shut up and get out!" Adia shrieked as she chucked a pillow across the room, nearly missing the Silver Ranger.

"Alright, alright. I'm going." Zhane said in between laughs. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm back. Andros, I really need to talk to you. So can you two hurry up and get dressed?"

"You really know how to kill the mood, don't you Zhane?" Andros said with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Zhane walked through the sliding doors and Andros couldn't help but to laugh at the flustered look on Adia's face. He slid out from underneath the cover and headed to his closet to put on a new uniform. When he returned, he paused in the doorway, a look of disbelief on his face. Adia was wearing nothing but her underwear and the yellow shirt of his uniform as though she had stopped getting dressed halfway through the process. The nightstand table drawer was open and she was holding a beautiful frosted glass stone the size of a marble. She was staring down at it with tears in her eyes.

When the closet door shut with a thud behind Andros, Adia jumped before turning to look at him. They said nothing for a while and simply stared at one another trying to decide who should speak first.

"Andros…" Adia said in an audible whisper. "This stone…it's a…a…"

"An engagement stone." He finished for her, a blush warming his cheeks. Adia stood from the mattress and slowly approached him as she took in every detail of the tiny, yet beautiful stone. Every time the overhead lights would strike the stone, it would glow. It was absolutely mesmerizing to look at.

"I was going to give it to you after the baby shower." Andros admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "I had…this whole romantic evening planned out. We were going to go to the forest outside the eastern colony and picnic beneath the stars. I thought it would be the perfect way to ask you. The stone…it glows in the dark and everything. But that's beside the point."

"You…you want us to get married?" she said, her voice sounding hopeful.

Andros smiled as he took her hands in his and closed hers over the stone. A cool sensation filled Adia's palms and a wide smile grew on her face.

"You are the most important person to me. You are my best friend and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, even when our time as rangers is up. Adia…"

Before Andros could finish, Adia had thrown herself into his arms and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. When they broke apart for air, she smiled up at him.

"I am yours…"

* * *

TJ and the other Astro Rangers crept through the damp cave in silence as they followed the signal coming from the Red Astro Morpher. It hadn't moved since they first picked up on the signal, which was a good thing. At least Andros hadn't been captured and taken off planet.

"You guys, wait." Carlos said suddenly, stopping his trek. The other rangers stopped and turned to the Black Ranger who was holding up a finger. "Do you hear that?"

The rangers could hear a strange noise coming from up ahead. The sound was similar to the noise that fairies make in animated cartoons when they're flying. A light, twinkling noise. Carlos pulled his Astro Blaster out his holster before taking off running. The others followed after him, knowing how close they were to locating Andros.

The long corridor opened up into a large cavern where an underground lake could be seen. The sun had set since the rangers first arrived on the planet, and moonlight was shining into the cave, causing the walls to glow with a fluorescent blue hue. It was cold and there appeared to be no one around, but that strange sound had grown louder.

Carlos held his blaster out in front of him as he cautiously proceeded forward. It appeared as though they were all alone in the cavern, but Carlos knew better than to believe that. Someone was definitely inside with them.

"Look." Ashley whispered as she pointed upwards. The others looked up and could see an offsetting green glow up on a ledge.

TJ motioned for the rangers to follow him as he took off running. Slowly, the rangers climbed their way up the rock wall, thankful that there were large steps of sorts to help them up. When they reached the top, a deep voice startled them.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Astro Power Rangers."

A dark hooded figure appeared before the rangers with glowing blue eyes. He laughed slowly, the sound echoing off the surrounding cave walls.

"Who are you?" TJ demanded as he summoned the Astro Axe and held it out at arm's length.

"Where's Andros?" Ashley demanded to know as she and Cassie summoned the Star Slinger and Satellite Stunner.

"Ah yes, the Red Ranger. I presume he is the one you are looking for."

"You didn't answer my question." TJ said as he took a step in front of the others. "Who the hell are you?"

The hooded figure raised his arms above him the cavern began to quake. Rocks and debris began to rain down all around the rangers and they had to steady themselves to keep from falling. The hooded figure began to laugh maniacally, causing the shaking to worsen.

"I am Malik, master of illusion and telekinesis. I'm afraid that you four are trespassing in my lair. Now, would you be so kind as to _leave_!"

The rangers were thrown back by an invisible force and sent hurtling over the edge of the rock wall they had just scaled before landing with a thud on the muddy floor below. TJ shook his head to stop it from spinning before looking back up to where Malik was standing.

Malik pulled his hood back, revealing his green skin and feelers to the Blue Ranger, who jumped in disgust. He had never seen a creature of the likes of him and could literally feel the power radiating off him. He wasn't like any monster they had faced in the past. Malik stretched his hand towards TJ, catching him in a telekinetic bind and tossing him into the lake before jumping down and running towards the other rangers.

Carlos's readied his Astro Blaster to fire, but Malik quickly kicked the weapon out of his hands before spinning around and kicking Carlos in the chest. He then ran towards Cassie and leaped up into the air before bringing his arm down in a slicing motion similar to Ashley's Battle Blade technique. Cassie raised her arms in defense and crossed them above her head to block the assault, only for her morpher to be hit in the process. Cassie gasped as her suit quickly faded away and she didn't fail to see the sadistic look on Malik's face. Before she could morph back into her suit, Malik grabbed hold of her head, his eyes glowing brighter.

Cassie started screaming as her head was filled with an intense amount of pain. She could barely make out the sound of her friends screaming her name as she sunk down onto her knees and fell to the floor. Malik laughed before turning to the remaining three rangers. Ashley gasped as Cassie was suddenly glowing with a bright green light as she continued to lie still on the floor. Her head then snapped back up to the ledge where they had fallen from. She could still see the green light they had spotted earlier.

"Andros…" she whispered before turning to Carlos who was busy helping TJ out of the lake. She then turned back to Malik. "What have you done to her?"

"I have simply put her to sleep Yellow Ranger. Your friend is in the world of her dreams, happy and free of all worries and stresses that life can bring her. You should be thanking me."

"Thanking you? You put her there against her will, and for what?"

"Why, for the fun of it of course. There's nothing like watching a person live out their heart's desires before slowly succumbing to the black sleep."

"The…black sleep…?" Ashley repeated slowly.

"Wake her up!" TJ shouted as he charged towards Malik and swung the Astro Axe. TJ and the others were shocked when the axe went straight through Malik. He then disappeared, his laughter echoing throughout the cave.

"Show yourself!" TJ demanded.

"With pleasure." Malik said as a giant hand burst through the cave wall and knocked the rangers off their feet.

"What the heck is going on?" Carlos asked as the hand disappeared.

"Malik said he is a master of illusion." Ashley reminded them. "He's toying with us. I'll bet he wants to put us to sleep just like he put Cassie and Andros to sleep."

"Then we have to stop him before that happens." TJ said. "Better yet, we need to figure out a way to wake up Andros and Cassie."

Malik suddenly appeared across the cavern, his shoulders shaking with laughter as he began to walk towards the rangers. Suddenly, he split apart and a second Malik appeared as they both approached the rangers.

"You guys handle Malik." Ashley said as she took off running towards the rock wall. "I'm going to try and wake up Andros."

Carlos and TJ nodded before turning towards the two clones. They then charged towards the master of illusion.

Ashley spared one final glance at her friends before running towards the wall. She quickly began to climb, moving from ledge to ledge while making her way to the top. Once she hoisted herself up, she could clearly see a green glow emanating from another corridor up ahead of her. She took off running towards the light and rounded the corner to find Andros lying on top of a rock slab in the center of the room. She felt fear gripping at her heart as she ran to him and immediately, she knew something was wrong. Aside from the green glow surrounding him, Andros's skin was very pale and appeared to be losing color fast. She reached out and cupped his cheek, shivering when she realized how cold he was. His skin was like ice and that worried her. The black sleep was undoubtedly going to take him soon if she didn't do something.

She grabbed hold of his shoulders and began shaking him, but he wouldn't stir. She tried shaking him a little harder but still, he wouldn't respond.

"Andros, please wake up." She pleaded. "Andros you have to wake up, come on. You're stronger than this. Don't let Malik take you Andros, please!"

"It's no use Yellow Ranger." Malik's voice appeared behind her. Ashley turned around and gasped when she spied Malik standing there, his hood pulled back up. She raised an eyebrow and leaned back to peer behind him down the corridor where she could clearly hear Carlos and TJ still battling.

"You're the real deal…" she realized. He simply nodded once, not offering her any verbal confirmation. "Why are you doing this? Release him now!"

Ashley pulled out her Star Slinger once more and aimed it at Malik, but he raised a hand to stop her. Ashley raised an eyebrow. She wasn't too sure why the man was acting to calmly, but it was unnerving to her.

"Do you know Astronema?" she asked him. "Is she the one who asked you to do this?"

Malik nodded again. "She gave me no reason as to why. She simply gave me instructions. I am unsure what her personal vendetta is with the Red Ranger, but it is more than obvious that her hatred for him runs deeply."

"I won't let you kill him. Wake him up now!"

"He will not die." Malik said.

"But what about the black sleep?" Ashley asked as she blinked in confusion. "Isn't that what you're doing?"

Malik suddenly vanished and Ashley gasped. She then turned back to Andros who was still getting paler. She began to shake him once more. If Malik's intention wasn't to kill him, then what was his purpose for putting the Red Ranger to sleep?

* * *

"I have to go away for a while." Zhane said, his face solemn as he stared down at the tabletop of the HQ Command Center. He and Andros had been alone in the room for almost an hour talking about the battle against Astronema's dark forces and catching up with each other.

"What do you mean you have to go away?" Andros asked with a raised eyebrow. "Cain is sending you on another solo mission so soon? I mean, you just got back today Zhane. Can't it wait for a little while? I mean, the team still needs its sixth ranger around. With Astronema dead, Dark Specter will stop at nothing to avenge her. I wouldn't doubt that a new villain even stronger than her will come around."

Zhane's expression seemed to darken at the mentioning of Astronema and Andros didn't fail to notice. His brow knit together in confusion as he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table as he stared at his friend in concern.

"Zhane…what is it? What's the real reason why you're leaving?"

"I need a break." Zhane said as he cast his eyes down to the tabletop. "That last battle was sort of an eye opener for me. Being Silver Ranger has always been a dream of mine since I was a little kid but Andros…all this death and destruction is really starting to get to me. Damian suggested that I take a little time away and…try and clear my head a little."

Andros was silent as he tried to contemplate what to say next. He bit his bottom lip before taking a deep breath.

"How long…?"

"As long as it takes."

"This isn't like you Zhane. I don't understand. I mean, you've explained your reasons, but I'm not buying it. Something else has happened and I want to know what. I destroyed Astronema who was hell bent on destroying us no matter the cost."

"Did you have to destroy her?" Zhane demanded to know, his eyes narrowing. "We couldn't have just incarcerated her like we do with every other criminal? We destroy monsters as rangers Andros, that is what we are trained to do; but we don't take the lives of other human beings. That's what you did and everyone is… _praising_ you for it?"

"She was the enemy Zhane. It was either kill her or be killed. I can't believe you're actually upset with the choice I made."

"You took another life! Yeah, Astronema may have been playing for the opposite team; but we know nothing of her personal life. Maybe she had a family who is mourning her loss because she'll never come home? Monsters are created. They have no families or personal ties to this world. But Astronema was a person, and you-"

Suddenly, the room started shaking violently. The lights began flickering and furniture was starting to tumble over. Andros and Zhane exchanged a glance before jumping to their feet and running out of the Command Center. The HQ members were running around frantically, screaming at the top of their lungs as they tried to find their way out. Andros and Zhane continued to run down the hall when suddenly, they could hear Adia calling out to them.

"You guys, hurry! This way!"

Andros and Zhane turned to their left and spied Adia waving them down. Koyu, Malina, and Andante were by her side, all of them with fearful looks on their faces.

"What's going on?" Zhane asked when they caught up to each other.

"There's no time to explain." Koyu said as he, Malina, and Adia took off running. Zhane and Andros ran after them as they made their way to a sliding door at the end of the hall. A keypad slid out of a slot right beside it and Malina quickly entered a code before putting the keypad away. The door opened quickly and the rangers rushed inside before the door slid shut.

"The planet is under attack." Malina said as the rangers approached a wall of lockers. "Dark Specter is angry that he's lost Astronema, and he's sent Ecliptor to finish up the job she started. The other colonies have already fallen. The capital is all that's left."

Andros's head suddenly began to hurt and he had to steady himself against the wall. Adia noticed his condition and was by his side immediately. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that let Andros know she was concerned; but he couldn't find the ability to speak. His headache was growing worse with every passing second, and he literally felt like his brain was pulsing. His vision started to blur and he felt like he was going to be sick.

 _It's your fault…It's your fault…Andros…Andros…Andros…_

Andros's eyes widened as Astronema's voice echoed throughout his head. What was his fault? What was she talking about?

A large explosion suddenly erupted outside of the room and the rangers fell to the floor as the room shook from the force. Andros was hunched over on his knees, the pain in his head starting to become unbearable. Adia's hand was resting on his back. She was saying something to him but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. It sounded like he was underwater and the only sounds he could hear were muffled.

 _You are a failure, a mockery of the legend Cain left behind. You don't have what it takes to destroy me._

"Shut up…" Andros growled through gritted teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut to try and block out the pain; but the pain only seemed to intensify and Astronema's voice seemed to grow louder.

 _The Power Rangers are responsible for killing my family and destroying my home. You claim to stand for peace and justice, but you do nothing but destroy lives whether it's intentional or not. I mean, just look at the mess you've made. You took up the mantle of being Red Ranger and swore to protect the Karovian people from mine and Dark Specter's wrath and look where that's gotten you? Tell me Andros, how does it feel to have their blood on your hands?_

The pain in Andros's head suddenly lessened and he felt lighter than he had before. He opened his eyes and instead of seeing the metallic floor of the room he and the others had fled to, he found himself staring down at rubble. He raised an eyebrow before lifting his head. What he saw around him caused his heart to drop into the pit of his stomach. Tears stung at the corner of his eyes and he could feel himself shaking with fear.

There were five stakes in the ground lined up horizontally in front of him and hanging from each one were the deceased corpses of his teammates. Andros had never seen something so horrific in his life. Their eyes were half open, glazed over with the ominous sight of death, their lips parted and covered with dry blood. Their Astro uniforms were torn and covered with blood. Their skin covered in flesh wounds that were oozing.

Andros felt bile rising up his throat and leaned over to heave up the contents of his stomach. When he could do nothing but dry heave, his body began wracking with sobs. Guilt began weighing heavily down upon him to the point that he couldn't stand.

"You're pathetic." Astronema's voice came from behind him. Andros looked up and glared daggers at the purple haired villain as she stared down at him menacingly, her staff being held tightly in her hand. "You thought you were going to defeat me then and you failed. What makes you think this time is going to be different?"

"This time?" Andros said as he blinked a few more tears free. Astronema pointed behind him towards the stakes and Andros turned around only to find four unfamiliar teens hanging from the stakes looking just as worse as Adia and the others had earlier.

"I don't understand…who are they…?"

"Another dream team that you feel has the power to take me down." She said with a laugh. "Face it Andros, you are a failure and should give up your fight as Red Ranger. Otherwise _that_ will be your future."

Andros stared at the faces of the four teens and suddenly, it all came rushing back to him. The nightmare that had fallen into his subconscious. Losing his teammates in battle and managing to save Zhane using a cryogenic tube. Traveling alone with D.E.C.A. to track down Astronema for two years. Coming home after crashing Dark Specter's evil alliance meeting and finding four unfamiliar earthling teenagers wandering the halls of his ship. Recruiting them to fight beside him. Going on mission after mission to find Zordon. Learning about the beautiful blue and green planet known as earth and all of its strange yet amazing customs. New friendships being formed. Learning how to cope with his past…

 _Andros, wake up. Please Andros, you have to get up!_

"Ashley?" Andros whispered as he looked towards the corpse of the new Yellow Ranger. Finally realizing who the teens were, caused Andros's eyes to widen with horror.

"No!" he shouted.

* * *

Andros's eyes shot open and he began gasping for breath. Ashley powered down and placed a hand to his cheek comfortingly as a smile spread across her face at the realization that his skin was now warm to the touch.

"Thank God, you're finally awake."

Andros shot upright and Ashley looked at him in worry. He turned to her, a look of fear in his eyes that chilled Ashley to the core. She had never seen such a look before and her stomach felt uneasy. Andros's eyes darted around the cave as he tried to piece together what had happened.

"Are you alright?" he heard Ashley ask him. "Andros, please say something. You're scaring me."

"It was all a…"

"An illusion." Ashley said. "Malik, he's a creature on this planet. I'm not sure why he did it, but he managed to trap you and Cassie within one of his illusions."

"Everything was…a dream…?"

"Andros, what did you see?"

Andros stared at her in silence and Ashley could see tears welling up in his eyes. Whatever he had seen, it had scared him to the core. Without saying anything, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. She could feel him shaking within her hold and took a deep breath to calm herself. If he didn't have the strength to be strong, then she would do it for him.

* * *

"He's awake." Malik said as he kneeled before Astronema. He had ventured to the Dark Fortress as soon as the rangers entered the cave as per previous instruction.

"Excellent; and as promised Malik, here is the payment you requested."

Malik couldn't stop a smirk from spreading across his face as Astronema handed him a small sack that was extremely heavy. He untied the string holding it together and peered inside at the hundreds of tiny pebbles inside. The pebbles were a part of the monetary system in Quadrant 87 and Malik was without a doubt very wealthy at the moment.

"Much obliged to you my princess." He said. "Please, let me know if I will be of further service to you."

Astronema nodded as Malik stood and left the room. She sighed before leaning back in her throne chair and allowing her eyes to slide shut as she basked in silence.

"Tell me my princess…" Ecliptor's voice came from the doorway. "What was the purpose of all of this."

Astronema smiled before opening her eyes and locking them with Ecliptor's. "It's a personal matter Ecliptor. If the Red Ranger thinks that he's going to defeat me, he's wrong. I have all the power and he now knows it. He may have a new team of rangers, but they will suffer the same fate if he continues to get in my way. Zordon has been relocated. That was our true mission of the day. I trust that you and your men will be able to create a bigger shield to block his power. The rangers were too close to finding him this time."

"He safe for now my princess. Divatox and her men have them within their custody. They will begin moving him to Youtoba once they finish making preparations. The rangers won't be finding him anytime soon. Besides, Dark Specter has begun to drain his powers which is decreasing his power source immensely. Soon, the rangers won't be able to pick up on his life force at all."

"Excellent. Now, leave me Ecliptor. I would like a few minutes to myself."

"As you wish my princess."

Astronema watched Ecliptor leave before turning her attention to one of the many windows residing in her throne room. She gazed at the stars stretching on for miles outside her window as the familiar feeling of loneliness crept into her heart. Her hand moved to the locket around her neck and she squeezed it as though it were a life line.

Yes, the real mission she had embarked on that day was to move Zordon to a more secluded location. Mentally toying with the Red Ranger was simply a consolation prize for her. She would break his spirit in one way or another until there was nothing left.

"I will avenge your death Zhane…" she said as the familiar burning sensation associated with tears stung at her eyes and the back of her throat. "He will pay for ruining my life…"

* * *

"Are you sure you're alright Cassie?" Ashley asked as she sat on the foot of the Pink Ranger's bed.

Cassie smiled and nodded her head. "I'm okay Ashley, really. Yeah, when Malik first put that illusion spell on me, I felt like my skull was going to explode; but the illusion itself was pretty…nice."

"Oh really now?" Ashley asked, a playful smile on her face. "Care to share what it is that you saw?"

"Let's just say…I hope we can find the Phantom Ranger soon. He has Zordon's keycards after all and there are so many things that I want to discuss with him."

Ashley smiled before patting Cassie's leg. "Alright then. Get some sleep you. I'll come and check on you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Night." Cassie replied before flipping her lamp off.

Ashley smiled as she walked out of Cassie's room and headed for the bridge. It was her week to check the systems of the ship and she had to do one final check before she could even think about turning in for the evening. Stifling a yawn, she headed down the hall towards the bridge.

As she passed by the dining hall, she could hear someone sniffling. She raised an eyebrow before heading into the hall and seeing Andros sitting at the table. She stood there for a moment and watched him, her heart going out to him as she wished more than anything that she could comfort him. He had barely said a word since waking up in the cave and helping her and the others get Cassie back to the Megaship and she was really worried about him. He had been in the world of illusion a lot longer than Cassie and it was obvious that he was Malik's true target all along. There was no telling what the master of illusion had done to him.

"Andros?" she called out to him, causing the Red Ranger to jump. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Andros lied as he wiped away the tears staining his cheeks.

Ashley walked over and took a seat beside him before grabbing his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Come on, don't put those walls up again after we worked so hard to tear them down. We're friends Andros and you can trust me. What did you see?"

Andros stared at her hesitantly before casting his gaze down to his lap. "A life without Astronema. A life in which I succeeded in defeating her and my friends never died. I was happy and alive. KO-35 was still bustling with life. It was an abandoned colony that's haunts my memories. I was…happy Ashley. Adia and I were going to be happy."

"Adia?" Ashley said, her eyes saddening. Andros could feel her hold on his hands loosening and took a deep breath before looking up to meet her gaze.

"I'm not sure how Malik knew exactly what to put inside my head. Maybe he was manipulating my memories and using them against me. Whatever it was he did, it worked…I don't think I'm ever going to be able to forget it. In the illusion…the engagement stone that I had hidden from Adia…she found it."

"You were going to marry her…" Ashley realized as she released his hands. "Adia wasn't just your teammate, huh?"

Andros shook his head as his eyes slid closed. "I loved her…I probably always will."

Ashley's heart ached as Andros's confession repeated throughout her head. The thought of him and her predecessor being in love hurt so much; but she wouldn't let it show. So instead, Ashley forced a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You should get some rest." She said before standing to her feet. "I know that the last thing you want to do right now is dream…but you can't allow what Malik did to you to deprive you of what your body needs. I'll talk to you in the morning, okay?"

Andros nodded as he watched her go. Before she disappeared from sight, he called out to her.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yes?" She said as she paused in the hallway, not bothering to turn around and meet his gaze.

Andros was silent for a moment as a smile found its way to his lips. "Thank you…for everything. I'd love to have another meditation session tomorrow."

Ashley nodded and Andros still couldn't understand why she wouldn't look at him. "I'll see you tomorrow then on the Simudeck."

Andros watched as Ashley disappeared from sight before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the stone that he had saved from all those years ago. The stone glowed as the overhead lights shone on it and Andros could feel his heart clench. He knew Adia's answer in the illusion; but what would she have said had he given her the stone before the battle?

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. I really hope that you guys are satisfied with this little story arc that I added to the series. I enjoyed using Malik and bringing Adia back for a little romance with Andros. It took me long enough to get this chapter out and I hope you all liked it.**

 **So, leave me a review. I'll see you at the next update!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	12. The Delta Discovery

**A/N:** **Thank you so much to those of you who have been reading and leaving me reviews. I'm glad you all are enjoying the changes I have made to the series. You guys are awesome!**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)….Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Delta Discovery"**_

Andros looked at the chaos erupting all around him. Smoke was billowing up into the air from the fires that had broken out in the streets. Buildings and skyscrapers that once stood tall, stretching up towards the heavens had been reduced to ash and rubble. Explosions were erupting everywhere, ripping screams from the throats of the Karovian people. The sky, once a bright and luminous blue was now a burnt orange and cloudy. Quantrons were busy taking people prisoner and slaying any who dared to oppose their orders. Flighter ships were dropping bombs overhead to divide the colonies during this time of peril. KO-35 was falling and fast.

"Andros, look out!" Adia screamed as she ran towards her boyfriend, shoving him onto the ground. Andros rolled through the rubble, the jagged pieces cutting through his suit before he came to a stop beside a lamppost. He looked up, his eyes frantically searching for Adia. He took a breath of relief when he spied her running towards him, her Star Slinger in hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked as she crouched down beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine." He said, his voice scratchy from all the yelling he'd managed to do in the past hour. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." She said, her voice sounding tired and defeated. "I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to last. Malina, Koyu, and Andante…Andros…"

"I know." He said as he rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "They went out the way a ranger should- protecting the people and the planet they love."

"Maybe we should just surrender." She said, her voice low and shaky. "Andros, there's no one left but you, me, and Zhane. The Grand Elder has been slain and all the councilmen have been captured. Cain managed to get Cadence and Harper onto one of the evacuation ships, but I haven't seen him since. Andros…we aren't going to win. We need to retreat."

The sound of Astronema's laughter reached the rangers' ears and they raised their heads to see Astronema striding towards them slowly, her hips swaying and her purple hair blowing with the wind all around her. She stopped a few feet away from the rangers and gave them a sadistic grin as her right hand curled around her staff.

"Your time is up rangers." She said. "You have lost. KO-35 has fallen at my feet and will be claimed by Dark Specter himself. He has finally gotten the revenge on the people who destroyed his father. How does it feel to know that you have failed in your ultimate mission?"

"We haven't failed yet Astronema." Adia shouted as she jumped to her feet and aimed her Star Slinger at the dark monarch. "We have yet to lose this battle."

"Oh, give it up. You are fighting for a lost cause. Your teammates are good as dead. Perhaps I should do you the honors of making your death quick so you can join them in the afterlife?"

Andros stood to his feet and stepped in front of Adia protectively as he summoned the Spiral Saber. "You will not touch her."

"Give it a rest Red Ranger." Astronema said with a laugh. "You couldn't save the other three. What makes you think you'll be able to save another?"

Before Andros could make the first move, Astronema was standing right in front of him and had her fingers wrapped around his throat. The Red Ranger's hands moved to hers as he tried to pry her fingers from around his throat; but just as quickly as he had been grabbed, he was tossed to the ground to lie amongst the rubble. The sound that reached his ears next made his blood run cold.

Adia screamed before going silent and a loud squishing noise could be heard. Andros managed to sit up and froze when he spied the diamond end of Astronema's staff protruding from Adia's back. A feral scream tore its way through Andros's throat as Astronema yanked her staff free from Adia's bloody body. Astronema spared him one final glance before shoving Adia to the ground.

Andros was on his feet in seconds as he ran to his love and gathered her in his arms. Her suit disappeared in a flash of yellow light, revealing a bloodied and bruised face and eyes wide with fear. Adia parted her lips to speak and Andros shook his head, pleading with her to hang on. She coughed twice, blood spilling from her lips as she reached a shaky hand up and cupped the side of his helmet. In spite of all her pain, she managed to smile before her arm went limp and fell to the ground.

* * *

Andros shot up in his bed with a scream before looking around his darkened room. His shoulders began to shake as he took a shuddering breath and ran his fingers through his hair that was damp with sweat. D.E.C.A. activated the lights in his room without receiving a command, having grown used to traveling with the Red Ranger and dealing with his frequent nightmares.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and Andros didn't bother to see who his visitor was. The sound of the door sliding open reached his ears and he could hear someone's footsteps moving across the metal floor before they sat down on the edge of the bed, the weight on the mattress causing Andros to lean.

A hand rested on top of his blanket covered leg and he finally looked up to see the concerned face of Ashley. No longer able to control himself, he buried his face in his hands as his shoulders shook with silent sobs. Ashley said nothing and wrapped her arms around him to hold him close.

The Yellow Ranger had long since forgotten her smidgen of jealousy over Andros's feelings for his lost love. The only thing that mattered now was helping Andros feel better. Whatever Malik had done to him, it had chipped away at the strong shield Andros had put up in front of himself. Ashley would see to it that she helped Andros build it back up.

* * *

Cassie hummed quietly to herself as she removed her breakfast from the Synthetron. She had programmed blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon and she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into it. As she took her seat and opened her book to her previous stopping point, Carlos and TJ walked in talking about something amongst themselves.

"Morning boys." She said as she took a bite of her pancakes.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" TJ asked as his thoughts turned back to their battle with Malik the day before.

"Come on Teej, stop worrying about me. I promise you, I feel much better now. The headache's gone and we're no longer on that creepy cave planet."

"Yeah TJ, Cassie's a tough girl." Carlos said with a smile before heading over to the Synthetron to program his own meal. "You worry too much."

TJ scratched the back of his head before pulling up a seat beside Cassie and snatching a piece of her bacon. She gave him a playful look before shoving him and resuming to read her book.

"So, anyone seen Andros or Ashley yet?" Carlos asked. "They're usually here by now."

"I haven't seen Ash since she left my room last night." Cassie said. "I did hear Andros scream around three this morning. He sounded terrified. Knowing Ash, she probably went to check on him."

"Those two have gotten pretty close, huh?" TJ said with a smile.

"It's more than that." Carlos said as he began to eat his cereal. "If I didn't know any better, I'd go ahead and assume they have feelings for each other."

"Really?"

"Come on Teej, you can't see it?" Carlos said with a laugh. "It's obvious that Andros trusts Ashley with way more than he trusts us with. They spend a lot of their free time together and they make each other happy from what I see. I'd give it…another month or so till they decide to tell each other how they feel."

"I'll bet on that." Cassie chimed in as she gave Carlos a thumbs up.

* * *

Andros opened his eyes and blinked a few times to steady his vision. He raised an eyebrow when he realized that his bedroom lights were still on. Perhaps he'd forgotten to shut them off before he went to bed? He spared a glance at the digital clock beside him and his eyes widened when he realized it was going on nine. He had managed to oversleep by three hours, which meant he was way behind schedule. As he moved to sit up, he paused, suddenly realizing there was another presence beside him.

Ashley was curled up against him lying on top of the blankets, her hair fanned out around her as she slept peacefully. Andros could feel his cheeks burning with a blush and cleared his throat to try and calm himself. He gently reached a hand out and shook Ashley's shoulder and watched as she began to stir.

The Yellow Ranger sat up slowly and stretched her arms above her head before rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. She then blinked in confusion at the realization she wasn't in her room. When the events of last night suddenly came back to her, she relaxed before turning to Andros who looked rather uncomfortable with them being in such a close proximity.

Ashley slid out of the bed and tugged at her t-shirt to pull it down over her exposed stomach before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Um…good morning?" she said, unsure of what else to say.

"Hey." Andros said with a smile. "Guess you sort of fell asleep in here last night."

"Yeah, I guess."

The two of them were silent for a moment as they listened to the sound of the air vents running overhead. They then locked eyes for a minute as they slowly relaxed and found their presence with the other comforting.

"Thank you for last night." He said as he got out of bed and ran his fingers through his loose hair. "I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me like it was a good deed or something." Ashley said with a small laugh. "You seemed to be having a nightmare…and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I mean, it could have been an after effect from Malik's attack and I wanted to be sure you were alright."

Andros's face suddenly grew serious as he thought about the illusion Malik had trapped him in. It had all seemed so real to him and he wasn't sure he would ever be able to get over how his emotions were used as a pawn in a sick and twisted game.

"Malik no longer has the ability to warp my mind Ash, don't worry. I was just having a nightmare…more like reliving the past. It doesn't matter how many years it's been since KO-35 was defeated. The memories are still fresh to me you know?"

"I know what you mean. I can still remember the sound of the Command Center exploding back on earth. I had never felt like such a failure in my entire life; but hey, what's in the past is in the past. It's time we focus on the future and more importantly, the here and now."

Andros nodded. "We sort of overslept. What do you say we shower and then meet up on the bridge? I can help you with your system checks and then we can launch a scan for Zordon."

Ashley smiled. "Sure."

Andros watched as Ashley turned to leave, but just before she could make it through the doorway, he called out to her.

"Ash…"

"Yeah?" she said sparing a glance at him over her shoulder.

"I really mean it. Thank you for last night."

Ashley smiled before heading towards her room, leaving the Red Ranger alone with a smile on his face.

* * *

Andros looked over the latest readings he and Ashley had managed to collect. The large energy source they had detected yesterday before their venture to the planet of illusion was no longer detectable; meaning whatever was the source of the energy had either been moved or masked.

The Red Ranger slid his fingers across the touch-screen monitor as he began to comb through the data he and the other rangers had gathered since they first began their adventure together through space, skimming over the details carefully to make sure he hadn't missed anything. The closest lead they had on Zordon were the NASADA shuttle discs that had been damaged beyond recognition. Aside from that, every false lead the rangers had come across turned up as well.

 **Emergency signal intercepted**. D.E.C.A. spoke up suddenly. Andros raised an eyebrow and followed Ashley over to the main controls. TJ, Carlos, and Cassie rushed into the room, having heard D.E.C.A.'s announcement during their breakfast. The last time an emergency signal had been intercepted, it was a message from NASADA. Perhaps another satellite had caught wind of Zordon's whereabouts?

"What's with this emergency signal?" TJ questioned as he and the others gathered around Ashley and Andros.

The Yellow Ranger quickly pulled the transmission onto the screen and worked to decode it. She raised an eyebrow when she recognized the energy signature attached to the transmission.

"It's a message from the Phantom Ranger."

"The Phantom Ranger?" Cassie said, her heartbeat quickening as her thoughts turned to the mysterious ranger from Eltar who had helped her and the others on numerous occasions. "Are you sure it's from him."

"I'm positive." Ashley said as she finished deciphering the message. "The transmission is emitting the same energy signal as his power ruby."

A video image quickly appeared in place of the windshield and the rangers looked on in interest at the image of the Phantom Ranger.

" _Come in Rangers. Dark Specter currently has Zordon on the planet Hercuron- sector four, four, six, point seven, eight. When you get this message, come quickly. Divatox has full security on Zordon and I won't be able to hold off her men on my own. I need your help. Please hurry. There isn't much time before her men realize that I'm here."_

"I don't believe it!" Ashley said as a smile spread across her face. "The Phantom Ranger has found Zordon."

"And Divatox." Carlos reminded her.

"Set a course for Hercuron." Andros commanded as he ran towards the lead controls. "There isn't a moment to lose."

While the others ran to take their seats, Cassie stared at the paused image of the Phantom Ranger for a moment longer. It had been so long since she had last seen the Phantom Ranger and there was so much she wanted to ask him. He had undoubtedly changed and so had she. She only hoped that they would have a little more time to talk unlike they did during his last visit to earth.

"Cassie, let's go." TJ called out to her gently, pulling her from her thoughts.

She nodded quickly before scrambling over to her seat and taking a deep breath. "Shields and weapons are online."

"Hyper Rush Nine." Andros commanded as he strapped himself in.

"Hyper Rush Nine." TJ repeated with a smile before nodding to Carlos.

* * *

"Hurry up and stop him you imbeciles!" Divatox roared as she stomped her foot impatiently.

The Phantom Ranger was busy defending himself against Divatox's henchman while the purple-haired pirate watched from a safe distance. Her eyes moved from the battle towards another group of Piranhatrons who had just finished placing a tarp over Zordon's energy tube.

"Rygog, do something." Divatox whined. "If the Phantom Ranger gets to Zordon it will all be over. Dark Specter will tear both of us to shreds if we lose Zordon. We had one job- get Zordon from Astronema and relocate him and we managed to botch the job up just nice. So, what are you going to do to fix it?"

Rygog flinched as Divatox flared her nostrils. "I'll help them."

"You'd better."

The Phantom Ranger kicked a Piranhatrons in the stomach before turning around and swinging his arm in a slicing motion to cut through two. Before he could make his next move, two Piranhatrons grabbed him by his shoulders and tossed him into the trunk of a giant tropical tree. The Phantom Ranger could feel a power surge run through his suit and grit his teeth as the feeling sparked across his skin. His ruby had obviously taken a hit which wasn't a good thing.

As the Piranhatrons began closing in on him, he spared a glance in the direction that Rygog had run of in. He could see ten foot soldiers hurrying to carry Zordon's energy tube away. Feeling an indescribable amount of anger swelling up in his chest at the sight of his mentor being carted away, he summoned his cloaking abilities before breaking off into a sprint, knocking down all of the Piranhatrons in his way. He smirked as he ran by Rygog and slammed his right shoulder into his armor, causing the large creature to topple backwards and knock down three Piranhatrons.

He smirked when he spied Zordon's tube not even a yard away with three other Piranhatrons, but just before he could reach him, several flashes of light appeared in front of him. He skidded to a stop and watched in interest as a group of foot soldiers he didn't recognize appeared in front of him wearing metallic gray and black suits of armor and carrying bladed weapons. When another light appeared in front of him, he felt his chest tighten as a thin, beautiful woman with curly black hair materialized holding a staff with a diamond at the end. He recognized her immediately from the research he had been doing during his travels- Astronema.

"Going somewhere?" she asked with a smirk. The Phantom Ranger took a step back and as she looked over her shoulder. "Get Zordon out of here now."

The Quantrons gave their typical robotic reply before a group of them turned around to assist the Piranhatrons in moving Zordon to his new location. Astronema then turned her attention back to the Phantom Ranger. She eyed him carefully, taking note of how firm his posture seemed to be in spite of the fact that fear was practically rolling off of him.

"Well, well, well, the Phantom Ranger is here and all alone with no one to assist him. That's good. I wasn't in the mood for a tough workout today anyhow."

Astronema quickly aimed her staff at the Phantom and fired off a huge electrical blast, getting a direct hit on the Phantom Ranger and the foliage surrounding him. He slammed into the trunk of a tree and cried out in pain as a burning sensation covered the skin beneath his suit. His heart rate had picked up tremendously and he felt his teeth shaking as he slowly lifted his head to stare at Astronema.

"Finish him off." She commanded to her Quantrons who charged towards the injured Phantom.

Knowing that he had no choice other than to fight, the Phantom Ranger stood back onto his feet and blocked the bladed weapons of his attackers. He was managing pretty well, but he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer. A Quantron struck the back of his helmet with their blade while another kneed him in the stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs and knocking him to the ground. The Phantom Ranger curled into the fetal position as the Quantrons unleashed their attack, kicking and clawing at the ranger who was too weak to defend himself.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Divatox roared as she finally caught up to the Phantom Ranger. She locked eyes with Astronema who was watching her with amusement.

"Why hello there Divatox. It's a pleasure to be seeing you again."

"You can shove your fake sympathy up your ass Astronema. What the hell are you doing here? I had things under control!"

"From what I can tell, you nearly lost Zordon to the Phantom Ranger. I asked you to do one simple task, move Zordon to a secluded location, yet you let your guard down and the Phantom Ranger tracked you here. Now, I am going to spare you the humiliation of telling Dark Specter of your latest blunder by taking Zordon off your hands and moving him to a secluded location of my choice, and you are going to crawl back into your little submarine and disappear. Sound good?"

Just before Divatox could reply, a Quantron approached holding a metallic case of sorts. Astronema held up a finger as she opened the case, revealing a communication screen where Elgar could be seen yelling at a group of Quantrons. There was a phone hooked up to the machine and Astronema cleared her throat before raising it to her ear.

"Yes Elgar?"

"We have company boss lady!" the pointy-headed creature said.

"Let me guess, the Power Rangers are on their way to help their dear friend the Phantom Ranger?"

"You would be correct Astronema. My, you are the smartest boss I've ever had!"

Divatox snarled before shoving Astronema out of the way and snatching the phone. "The smartest boss you've ever had huh? What about me Elgar, your darling aunt? You're a traitorous little mongrel. Just wait until I get my hands on you for helping this witch!"

 **Silence!** A loud, thunderous voice boomed throughout the forest. Astronema and Divatox looked upwards to where Dark Specter's image could be seen displayed in the blue sky overhead.

 **The Power Rangers will be arriving shortly and I do not want Zordon on Hercuron when they arrive. Astronema, I want you to head back to the earth and launch an attack on Angel Grove. Protecting the earth is the rangers' main priority; and if they find out it is under attack, they will abandon their mission to Hercuron. Divatox, you have failed in moving Zordon to a secluded location. I will give you one last chance to do as you are told or I will relinquish the job to Rita and Zedd.**

Divatox's snarl seemed to deepen as the command left Dark Specter's lips. Astronema nodded towards her leader before sending a smirk Divatox's way. She then disappeared in a flash of light.

 **Get a move on!**

"Right away your majesty." Divatox said as she forced a smile and began to twirl her hair around on her finger. "Have I ever told you how incredibly _handsome_ you look in your lava? It makes you look super strong and powerful."

 **Save your flattery for someone who cares and get a move on Divatox. If those rangers arrive before you and Zordon are gone, it will be your** _ **head**_ **!**

Divatox gulped before laughing nervously and helping Rygog to his feet. "Right away Dark Specter."

"No, you can't!" The Phantom Ranger said through gritted teeth as he outstretched his hand towards Divatox's ship as it began to take off. The entire area began rumbling and the palm trees began blowing heavily from the force of the wind as the ship lifted off the ground and took off out of Hercuron's orbit.

The Phantom Ranger growled angrily before jumping to his feet and taking on the Quantrons once more, ignoring the pain in his chest. His adrenaline was pumping and his anger was through the roof. He literally had Zordon within his line of sight and he'd managed to lose him in under twenty minutes.

Just as the Phantom Ranger knocked a group of Quantrons away, he was suddenly hit by a blast coming from an unknown source. As he was blown back into the trunk of yet another tree, he had to stop his head from spinning just to be able to make out his attacker walking towards him through the foliage. He recognized him as Astronema's right-hand man, Ecliptor.

"You may be from a different colt of rangers, but you're just as much of a failure as those pathetic Astro Power Rangers. Look at you, defeated yet you still find the will to go on. I guess I can admire that quality. Hiya!"

The Phantom Ranger was blown back by another blast and sent toppling through the air before he landed with a thud in the dirt almost a few feet away from Ecliptor.

"I will handle him on my own." Ecliptor said to the remaining foot soldiers. "Retreat back to base and help Astronema carry out her next plot."

The Quantrons wasted no time with arguments as they lined up quickly and disappeared in a flash of light. The Phantom Ranger pushed himself onto his hands and knees as he tried to stand back up, but Ecliptor slammed his sword against the side of his helmet, smirking as sparks spit off the suit and the Phantom Ranger cried out in pain. Just before he could unleash a finishing blow, a group of blue lasers struck him in the side, causing him to fall back.

Ecliptor growled angrily as the Astro Rangers emerged from within the forest and stood protectively around the Phantom Ranger.

"Not so fast Ecliptor." Andros shouted as he aimed his Astro Blaster at him.

"I don't know why you always insist on starting a challenge against me Red Ranger." Ecliptor said with a throaty laugh. "You've never beaten me and you never will. Don't worry. Once I've finished off the Phantom Ranger, I'll be sure to send you straight to the afterlife to join your friends. Tell me, did Malik help make all your wishes come true?"

Andros growled angrily as his fist tightened on his blaster. He gasped when he felt a soft hand rest on his shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Ashley. Taking a deep breath, Andros turned back to Ecliptor.

"You aren't going to harm him anymore. We are your opponents now Ecliptor."

Just before Ecliptor could reply, a strange beeping noise filled the area. The rangers raised an eyebrow as Ecliptor raised two fingers to the side of his forehead and began speaking.

"Yes my princess? Understood. Yes. I will be there shortly."

Before the rangers could stop him, Ecliptor vanished in a flash of light. The Phantom Ranger gasped suddenly as he hunched over and clutched his chest.

"Are you alright?" Cassie asked as she quickly moved to support his weight against her.

"Cassie, it's you." He said, a smile evident in his voice.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm guessing you didn't know about my new costume change huh?"

The Phantom Ranger shook his head as Cassie wrapped his arm around her shoulder and helped him onto his feet. He hissed in pain and Cassie could feel nervousness in the pit of her stomach when she spied a good amount of blood staining the front of his suit.

"We received your emergency transmission about Zordon being held here." Andros said as he quickly changed the subject.

"He was here, but Astronema's henchman took him." The Phantom Ranger said as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Then we're going after them." Andros said as he raised his communicator to his mouth. "Alpha, can you get a lock on the vapor trail of either Divatox or Astronema's ships? They left orbit of Hercuron not too long ago."

 **Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi, I'm sorry Andros; but the Megaship can't get a lock on the trail. It's vanished into thin air.**

"Right, I guess we're back to square one then."

"I've got to go after Zordon." The Phantom Ranger said through gritted teeth as he tried to take a step forward. "I let him down once, I'm not going to do it again."

"Hey, you aren't going anywhere in your condition." TJ said. "You took quite the beating. Let us help you."

"I don't need your help. I'll be fine."

"Please?" Cassie pleaded with him softly. "At least let us dress your wounds before you take off. I'd hate for them to get infected."

The Phantom Ranger turned to Cassie and stared at her for a moment. Even though her face was hidden behind her helmet, he knew that she was wearing that same sympathetic look she always wore when he had been injured or in trouble. With a heavy sigh, he nodded his head.

"Fine. Let us be off then."

* * *

"I still can't believe we've lost all traces of their ships." Andros said as he ran a hand through his hair. "We were so close and then…"

"Try not to beat yourself up man." Carlos said as he looked up from the screen he and Alpha had just finished searching through. "Divatox and Astronema are formidable opponents. It's not supposed to be an easy task to find them, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Carlos prepared to return to his search when he spied TJ sitting in Cassie's usual chair, his legs propped up on the control panel and his arms tucked beneath his head as he stared up at the ceiling. The Blue Ranger had been in that position for a while since they'd gotten back to the ship with the Phantom Ranger nearly half-an-hour ago and Carlos wasn't too sure why.

"Hey Teej, is something the matter?"

TJ didn't say a word as he continued to stare off into space. Carlos sighed before walking over to his friend and gently nudging his shoulder. TJ jumped from his thoughts and turned to Carlos, blinking a few times.

"Uh dude, where'd you go? You just totally spaced out on me for a second there."

"Sorry, I was just thinking, that's all."

"About what?" Andros asked, suddenly interested in his friend's odd behavior. "It isn't like you to lose your focus like that."

"I know guys, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day you know. We were apparently very close to finding Zordon and the Phantom Ranger just let him slip away."

"Come on TJ, no he didn't." Carlos said. "The guy found out where Zordon was and his position was compromised. He managed to fend off an entire onslaught of Quantrons and Piranhatrons all on his own, and that's saying a lot. Even if we didn't manage to rescue Zordon in time, we would have never gotten this close without the Phantom Ranger's help."

"Yeah TJ." Andros agreed. "And once he's all bandage up, I'm sure he'll help us start a new search immediately."

"Who knows? Maybe the guy will want to stick around for once and be a part of our team."

"Are you two out of your mind?" TJ snapped suddenly, his voice echoing throughout the room. Andros and Carlos blinked in surprise at TJ's sudden outburst. Realizing that he was out of line, TJ sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Look, I'm sorry for snapping okay. It's just that…I'm a little warry of the Phantom Ranger. Yes, he's helped us out in the past, but he's so secretive with his life and his mission that it can put us in jeopardy. I he's been tracking Zordon this entire time, why couldn't he have notified us. Yes, Zordon was his master and friend, but Zordon is the leader of the Power Rangers and we had every right to know if there was a way to track his location."

"Are you sure that's what this is about?" Carlos asked with a smirk.

"Of course that's what I'm upset about."

"Are you sure it isn't the fact that Cassie's been hanging all over him since he got back?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" TJ said as he felt his face getting hot. "She and the Phantom have always been close. I have no reason to be upset over their friendship."

Carlos and Andros exchanged a glance before looking at the Blue Ranger. TJ growled in frustration before standing up and walking out of the room.

"I'd say our dear friend TJ has been nabbed by the jealousy monster." Carlos said with a laugh before returning to help Alpha launch another vapor trail search. Andros smiled at the thought before resuming his own scans.

* * *

Cassie fumbled through the cabinets of the infirmary as she searched for the rubbing alcohol and a few cotton swabs to help the Phantom Ranger sterilize his wounds. He had gone off with Ashley when they'd first arrived on the ship to shower and they would be returning shortly. Cassie couldn't help but to feel a pang of jealousy over the fact that Ashley had offered to show him where the showers were located. After all, the Yellow Ranger was her best friend and she knew how deeply her affection towards the mysterious Eltarian ran. From the first day she had met the Phantom Ranger, she had been drawn towards him in spite of never having seen his face. Was it his devotion and his bravery that made her swoon over him? Was it his confidence and his combat skills? Perhaps it was just the fact that he was a mystery, an excitement to her.

"We're back Cass." Ashley said, announcing her presence and startling the Pink Ranger. Cassie yelped as she swung her arm, knocking several items out of the medicine cabinet and onto the floor. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment over her screw up and she hopped down from the counter she'd been kneeling on to gather up the scattered contents.

"Here Cass, let me help you." Ashley offered as she crouched down and began scooping the cotton balls back into the clear plastic container they'd fallen from.

Cassie gathered up the gauze and bandages before reaching out to grab the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Her finger tips pushed against the cylindrical bottle and she silent cursed as it rolled across the floor. She crawled after the bottle and didn't notice the edge of the gurney in front of her. Her forehead smacked against the metal bars of the gurney and she hissed before leaning back to rub her forehead.

"I take it you were looking for this?" The Phantom Ranger's voice reached her ears.

Cassie laughed nervously, not bothering to look at the Phantom Ranger before holding a hand out to take the alcohol bottle from his hand. She raised an eyebrow when her fingers brushed against warm skin. Slowly, she lifted her head and couldn't stop her mouth from falling open when her eyes were met with the presence of a very tall and lean man with dark chocolate eyes and short, brown wavy hair. He had a small amount of stubble and impressive muscles. He was currently dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and an over-sized blue t-shirt.

"Cassie, are you alright?" he asked her.

Ashley leaned over and wrapped her arms around Cassie's left to help her onto her feet. Cassie blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things while the teen asked her again if she was alright. Her eyes traveled down to his right wrist where there was clearly an unfamiliar yet an unmistakable morpher strapped onto it.

"Y-you're the Phantom Ranger?" she managed to choke out.

"Well yeah." He said with a smile. "Who were you expecting me to be?"

"I'm sorry." She said with a nervous laugh as she turned around and cleared her throat. "It's just that you caught me off guard. I was expecting you to come back morphed and all, not in your civilian form that I've never seen before and all."

Ashley covered her mouth to suppress a giggle that was bubbling in her throat. "I'm going to go and see how Andros and the others are doing. Oh, and Zentin? I'll be sure to get your clothes washed and returned to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you Ashley." The Phantom Ranger spoke as he and Cassie watched her leave. The Phantom Ranger then slowly made his way over to the gurney. Cassie watched as he struggled to lift his legs onto the gurney, but he didn't complain. He simply leaned back against the elevated backrest before sliding his shirt over his head, revealing the horrible gashes seared into his chest.

Cassie took a deep breath to calm herself before unscrewing the cap of the alcohol bottle and dabbing it onto a cotton ball. She then moved over to the gurney and gave the Phantom Ranger an apologetic look.

"This might sting a little…or maybe even a lot." She said trying to lighten the mood.

"That's okay Cassie, I can take it." He reassured her with a smile.

Cassie nodded before lowering the cotton ball to the open wound and tending to it. She could hear the Phantom Ranger hiss as his chest muscles tensed beneath her; but the longer she worked, the more his muscles seemed to relax. As she finished cleansing the wound and made a reach for the gauze and bandages, she cleared her throat.

"So…Ashley called you Zentin earlier." She said as she began to dress his chest in bandages. "I take it that is your name."

Zentin watched Cassie carefully as she dressed the wound, studying her face and the concentration etched into her features. A smile warmed his lips as he nodded.

"Yes, you would be correct."

"I've learned more about you in thirty minutes than I have in the entire year I've known you." She said as she spared a glance in his direction. "You were never really willing to stay behind and befriend me and the others before and…can I be honest for a second?"

"Sure you can." He responded quietly.

Cassie secured the bindings before setting the items on a sliding table beside her and resting her right hand on the edge of the gurney.

"I kind of resented the fact that you never trusted us enough to truly tell us about you."

Zentin was silent after Cassie's confession as he took in her words. He had always thought of the Turbo Rangers of earth to be his allies. No, he couldn't disclose too much information to his earthling friends, but he trusted them, especially Cassie. If it hadn't been for her, Divatox would have made off with his Power Ruby, rendering him useless as a ranger.

"I'm sorry Cassie."

"Don't be." She said quickly as she stood to leave. "It's nothing to worry about. I'd better go and see if the others need my help."

"Actually, would you mind staying with me for a little while? I could use the company."

Zentin grabbed Cassie's hand before she had the chance to move it. She turned around slowly to meet his gaze and smiled before taking a seat on the swivel chair beside him.

"Sure, I'll stay."

* * *

TJ walked down the main hall of the Megaship, his boots thudding loudly against the metal floor. He paused his stride when he spied Ashley coming out of her bedroom with a magazine in her left hand while she held the stem of a Smarties' lollipop in the other while she sucked on it absent-mindedly.

"Hey Ash." TJ called out to her, pulling her attention from her reading. Ashley looked up when she heard his voice.

"Teej, what are you doing here? I thought you and the guys were launching a search for Zordon?"

"I couldn't concentrate, so I thought I'd check on the Phantom Ranger. How's he doing?"

Ashley smiled as she closed her magazine and tucked it beneath her arm. " _Zentin_ is doing just fine." She said, putting emphasis on the Phantom Ranger's name.

"He told you his real name?" TJ asked, his eyes widening in surprise.

"He did more than that. He actually demorphed so Cassie could tend to his wounds. He's a pretty cool guy. Not a vicious alien of sorts."

"Ash, why do you always assume that just because someone is from outside space that they're a mutant, monster, or lizard?"

"Hey, you never know." Ashley said with a shrug as she resumed her walk down the hall. "Cassie should be finished with him now if you want to go and see him."

TJ watched her disappear around the corner before heading down to the elevators. When he got off the elevator, he could hear the sound of lighthearted laughter- one of the voices belonging to Cassie and the other of a male. TJ raised an eyebrow before walking closer to the room. He paused in the door way when he saw Cassie sitting on the gurney beside an unfamiliar male who was obviously the Phantom Ranger. They were lying side by side, Cassie snuggled up against his side as he rambled on and on telling her a story about doing battle with some monstrous villain known as Serpentine in a distant galaxy during his journey. Not wanting to be seen, the Blue Ranger moved away from the archway so he wouldn't alert the room's occupants of his presence.

"The creature had a long, slimy purple tongue that was unbelievably long. It wrapped its tongue around me almost like a rope and I couldn't move. It probably wouldn't have freaked me out so much if it didn't give me the sensation of having worms crawling over my skin."

"Ew, that's so disgusting." Cassie giggled. "I would have died. How did you defeat him?"

"Well, I managed to wriggle my right arm free and I summoned my Phantom Laser. I had a feeling that the monster's tongue was its source of power, so I shot the tongue at the section that wasn't wrapped around my torso and managed to sever it. The monster disappeared immediately."

"Good call." Cassie said, her smile beaming. "It seems like you've had plenty of crazy adventures since I last saw you. Man, it seems like ages ago since I found your Power Ruby and returned it to you."

"I owe you my life Cassie." Zentin said as he grabbed both his hands in hers. "I don't know how I could ever repay you for what you did for me."

Cassie felt her cheeks burning with a blush and looked away, her hair hiding her embarrassment. "It was nothing really. The other rangers helped to. I didn't do it all myself."

"I know that Cassie. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that you have helped me tremendously since the first moment we met. You've become…very important to me I guess is what I'm saying."

Cassie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled without bothering to look at him. "You're important to me too Zentin. Really…you are."

Things were silent, TJ realized from his place in the hallway. Not sure of what had happened, he leaned around the corner to peer through the doorway and what he saw made his eyes widen. Cassie and Zentin were engaged in a very passionate kiss, her left hand cupping his chiseled jaw and the fingers of his right hand slowly combing through her hair as their lips moved silently against each other's.

TJ backed away from the doorway and leaned against the wall. His face felt hot, his heartbeat was going wild, and his hands were shaking. Why had seeing the two of them together like that affected him so much?

Suddenly, the Megaship's alarms began blaring throughout the ship. TJ took a deep breath to calm himself before running into the infirmary. Cassie was helping Zentin out of bed when he arrived and she looked awfully surprised to be seeing him.

"I was just coming to get you. There's an emergency."

Cassie raised an eyebrow as she took in TJ's appearance. He appeared to be very flustered and upset, but she wasn't going to call him out on it. She simply nodded before wrapping Zentin's arm around her shoulder and leading him towards the elevator. TJ watched the two of them walk off and took a deep breath before heading down the hall in the opposite direction. He didn't mind taking a ladder up to the second level. Anything would be better than riding in the elevator cab with the new couple.

* * *

"We're here Andros." Cassie said as she led Zentin over to her usual seat. Carlos and Andros smiled at the sight of the Phantom Ranger's civilian form. He appeared to be very happy for some reason, but they weren't going to pry.

"What's the emergency?" TJ asked as he jogged into the room.

 **Astronema has sent a monster to earth.** D.E.C.A. spoke once she was sure everyone was present.

"Divatox must be close by." Zentin said, his face growing serious. "Astronema left Hercuron before she did. Obviously, Astronema is trying to lure you all back to earth to pull you off of Zordon's trail."

"I know that the earth needs our help, but we're so close to Zordon." Ashley said as she turned to Andros.

"I know." He replied, the situation heavy on his heart. "However, we can't leave the earth unprotected. You guys are planetary rangers, meaning it is your duty to protect your planet. Zordon wouldn't want you to sacrifice the earth's well-being for his own."

"I'll go after Zordon." Zentin said with a wince as he stood from his seat. "You guys need to get back to earth and take care of that monster."

"But Zentin, you're injured." Cassie protested. "Please, just come with us. Then we can resume the search for Zordon later."

"Divatox will be long gone by then. There's no telling which direction Divatox will has gone off in. I have to track her down before she gets too far."

Cassie bit her bottom lip, not wanting to vocalize how badly she wanted him to stay. So instead, she simply nodded her head before giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Zentin smiled up at her before extending his hand towards the ceiling. The rangers watched in amazement as a diskette materialized in his hand.

"I'm sure you guys already know this by now, but I made a trip to the Karova system nearly a month ago while tracking Zordon's movements. Divatox's soldiers had already begun transporting Zordon, but they hadn't disposed of his hookup station. So I stealthily snuck in and stole Zordon's keycards before taking off for Eltar. While there, the scientists of the planet were able to condense the cards onto this single diskette and I learned that there is a powerful Megazord known as the Delta Megazord that you all can add to your arsenal. Zordon has it stored away on Jupiter. You must hurry there and gain access to the Zord. I am afraid that the longer it remains in hiding, the sooner Astronema or Dark Specter will learn of its location."

"Why didn't you contact us sooner to let us know what you found?" TJ asked as his eyes narrowed. Cassie gave TJ a look of disbelief, but he ignored her and kept his focus on Zentin.

"I was too close to finding Zordon that I couldn't find the time to track you and the others down."

"Yet you conveniently were able to send out a distress signal earlier today to get us to Hercuron. You could've done the same thing as soon as you got a hold of Zordon's keycards. You know that a full team of rangers is required to control a Megaship and we are obviously the ones with that power. Which leads me to wonder why you didn't contact us."

"TJ, that is enough." Cassie said as she stepped protectively in front of Zentin. "While you're busy trying to pick a fight with him, the earth is in danger and Zentin is losing precious time that he needs to go after Divatox. Placing blame on someone for a situation that is out of their control isn't the way to go about doing this."

TJ bit his bottom lip as Cassie turned around and held her hand out to Zentin who gave her a gracious smile before setting the disc in her hand. Andros then tapped Cassie on the shoulder and held his hand out to take the disc from her.

"You guys get back to earth using the Megaship." Andros said. "I'm going to track down the Megazord."

"By yourself?" Ashley asked as her eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh no, no, no. Remember what happened the last time we let you do a solo mission? I am going with you Andros."

"I'll be fine Ashley. Besides, if Astronema decides to grow the monster that she sent to earth, you'll need to help the others pilot the Astro Megazord. I'll call one of you if I need help."

"Right then." Carlos said as he clasped a hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Let's get going. To the Galaxy Gliders!"

Carlos, TJ, and Ashley took off in a full sprint towards the dining hall, but Cassie lingered behind for a moment. She gave Zentin an unsure look and he smiled before pulling her into his arms.

"Your wounds aren't done healing yet." She reminded him. "I still think you should rest before going off."

"I'll be fine." He reassured her before pressing his lips against her forehead. Andros watched the exchange with interest. Cassie blushed, realizing that Andros had been watching before giving the two of them a nervous wave. She then took off for the jump tubes right behind the others.

Zentin winced once she was out of sight and wrapped an arm around his waist to try and soothe the pain wracking his body.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Andros asked.

"I'll be fine Andros. You'd better get going. Be sure to keep your communicator online and contact me once you've reached Jupiter. I'll guide you into the Zord's access hatch once you've arrived there."

Andros nodded before taking off in full sprint towards the jump tubes. Once he was positive he was the only one left on the ship, Zentin slowly made his way towards the dining hall. It was quite the task with his newly bandaged injuries, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that his wounds would reopen if he forced himself too quickly. Raising his morpher up towards the ceiling he smirked.

"Phantom Ranger, Power Up!"

In a flash of white light, Zentin morphed into his Phantom Ranger suit. He could feel his ruby's power feeding him energy to help him heal, but he was still severely injured. This wasn't going to be an easy trip.

* * *

TJ, Carlos, Cassie and Ashley arrived at Angel Grove Lake to find the entire place in chaos. Mothers were holding their children to their chests or tugging them by the arms to get them away from the alligator creature walking towards the shore from the lake. Other citizens were in a panic, tripping over strewn about beach blankets, coolers, and umbrellas as they tried to make their escape.

The monster appeared to look like an alligator with human legs. It had a short stub of a tail and a slimy, long right arm that looked like a tail on its own. It had red, beady eyes, spikes protruding from its spine, and a yellow belly with matching spots.

"Everyone remain calm." TJ shouted to the pedestrians as they passed by. "We'll take care of this disgusting creature. Let's do it guys!"

The rangers charged towards the creature but were surprised to see that it had picked up speed and was rushing towards them. Ashley and Cassie dove out of the way before they could be tackled, but TJ was pinned onto the cobblestone pavement while the creature tried to sink its teeth into him.

"Hang on!" Carlos shouted as he grabbed the monster from behind and tried to pry his friend free, but the creature's grip wouldn't loosen.

"Behind you!" Ashley shrieked when she spied the creature's slimy arm making a move towards the Black Ranger, but it was too late. Its tail wound tightly around Carlos's throat as he did his best to pry himself free.

"Time to turn up the heat Ash." Cassie said as she extended her right hand towards the sky. "Satellite Stunner!"

"Star Slinger!" Ashley shouted as she mimicked Cassie's actions and summoned her own blaster. The two of them aimed their weapons at the creature and began to open fire. Smoke and sparks spat off the monster as it dropped TJ and Carlos who were quick to scramble to their feet.

"Are you two okay?" Ashley asked as she and Cassie ran over to join them.

"That thing has a strong grip." Carlos said as he rubbed his sore neck. "I thought it would never let go."

"Let's finish him." Cassie said as she pumped her fist into the air; but just before she could fire off her weapon, a green beam shot down from the sky and struck the monster. The rangers were all too familiar with this sort of tactic and ran away from the alligator creature as it started to grow high into the sky.

"We need Astro Megazord power, now!" Carlos shouted as he raised his hand towards the sky.

 **Astro Megazord is on the way rangers!** Alpha's voice cracked over the communicators.

The rangers could feel the ground shaking as the monster made its way towards them, but they kept their attention focused on the afternoon sky overhead. Smiles found their way to the rangers' faces as the Astro Megazord descended from space and landed right in front of the monster.

"Teleportation now!" The rangers shouted as they extended their arms towards the Megazord. They quickly dispersed into four beams of light before rematerializing onboard the Megazord.

"I'll take over both mine and Andros's controls." TJ said as he moved to the lead seat and reconfigured the computer to take on both Andros's and his functions. Rolling his shoulders back, TJ leaned forward and stared out the windshield towards the giant alligator monster that was currently moving towards them.

"Let's take him out!" he shouted.

The alligator swung its slimy arm towards the Zord, striking its left arm and causing the entire cabin to shake. The rangers steadied themselves against their control panels to avoid falling over; but before they could make another move, the creature had smacked the Zord once more.

The rangers fell from their seats and hit the metal floor with a thud just in time to feel another vibration from the monster hitting the Zord.

"We have to do something!" Ashley shouted. "The monster is going to destroy the Zord."

"The Astro Megazord Saber." Carlos said as he struggled to get back into his chair. "We could use it to lop off that monster's arm."

"Then let's do it." Cassie said as she quickly stood to her feet and jumped to her controls. Just as the monster was preparing to swing again, she managed to raise the Zord's left arm and grabbed hold of the tentacle just as it prepared to swing. Ashley then grabbed her controls and forced the Megazord to push against the alligator's face to try and push it off of him. Once the monster stumbled backward, the girls worked together to lift the monster off the ground and swing it around twice before tossing it to the ground.

"Astro Megazord Saber, now!" Carlos shouted as he jumped into the pilot seat, much to TJ's displeasure. Deciding against arguing with the Black Ranger, TJ took Carlos's seat to maintain the Black Ranger's controls.

The Megazord powered up its saber before leaping into the air and slicing the alligator monster right down the middle. It seemed that the rangers had finished the job, but before they could celebrate, the monster's newly split form divided into two separate alligator monsters.

"I don't believe this." Ashley said as her eyes widened with horror. "There's two of those icky things?"

"Then we'll need to use a little more fire power to take them out." Carlos said. "Astro Megazord Blaster, now!"

The Megazord summoned its blaster and aimed at the two alligators that were running towards it. The Zord fired three times, getting direct hits, but it appeared that no damage had been done. Before Carlos could shout another command, both of the creatures opened their mouths wide and clamped their teeth onto both arms of the Zord.

Inside of the Megazord, the cabin's controls were smoking and the sound of electrical power surges could be heard all around while the rangers struggled not to fall out of their seats again.

"We're losing power and fast." TJ said as he spared a glance at his monitor. "We need help."

"Andros went off to find that new Megazord." Ashley said. "Maybe he's found it and he's on his way here now."

"We don't have time to wait and see." Carlos said as alarms began blaring throughout the cabin. "We have to take out at least one of these monsters if we don't want to lose the Megazord. Remember, losing the Zord means we lose the Megaship and the NASADA shuttle, and that's a risk we can't take."

"Right." TJ said as he held his communicator up to his mouth. "D.E.C.A., Alpha, I need both of you to siphon energy from the Megaship's core reactor and channel it to the NASADA shuttle."

"TJ, what are you doing?" Cassie asked in disbelief. "If you steal that energy, the Zord will have nothing to run on."

"Trust me Cassie, I know what I'm doing TJ said."

Cassie could hear the seriousness in his tone and said nothing as she nodded her head. Whatever he had planned, it had a fifty percent chance of working or blowing up in their faces.

* * *

Andros's scanner began beeping audibly as his Galaxy Glider glided across the surface of Jupiter. He had been searching for about ten minutes when the beeping started and he couldn't contain his excitement over the thought of having a new Zord within his ranger arsenal.

As he neared a large rock structure, the scanner began beeping out of control. Realizing that he must be at the location of the Delta Megazord shuttle, he hopped off the glider and ran over to the structure.

"Come in Phantom Ranger, I believe I have found the location of the shuttle. What do I do now?"

Andros waited for Zentin to respond, but he received no answer. Immediately concerned for the man's well-being, he held his communicator up to his mouth one more time.

"Come in Phantom Ranger. Zentin, are you there?"

 **I'm here Andros. Z** entin responded through gritted teeth. **You should be at a large plateau. The shuttle is hidden beneath. Search for three large boulders near the side of the plateau. The one in the middle will be a darker red than the others. Push your right foot against the boulder and the hatch will open.**

Andros nodded before jogging around the plateau in search of the boulders. He smiled when he located them just on the right hand side. After following Zentin's instructions, the dark red boulder slid back slightly and two sliding doors opened on the side of the plateau. Andros wasted no time running inside.

"I'm on board the shuttle." She said as he looked around in amazement at the upscale technology on board the ship. "Where do I head now."

 **To the lower level. There should be a passage way up ahead of you.**

Andros ran straight down the dimly blue lit hallway before hanging a right. There were several pipes and wires all over the place and he was careful not to run into anything as he made his way towards a visible stairwell up ahead. As he descended the stairs, his communicator began beeping.

"This is Andros."

 **Andros, the rangers really need your help!** Alpha's voice came over the speaker. **There are two alligator monsters attacking Angel Grove and the Astro Megaship has taken serious damage. TJ had me syphon energy from the Megaship's core and redirect it to the shuttle to give the Zord's arms more power and the plan backfired. The rangers are completely out of energy. You must hurry or I'm afraid we'll lose the Megaship! Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi!**

"Don't worry Alpha, I'm on my way soon. Tell the others to hang tight."

Andros ended the transmission as he continued to weave his way through the narrow halls of the shuttle. When he finally came across a door marked 'Engine Room,' he sighed in relief. There was a small access hatch on the side of the door with a red and green button. Assuming that the buttons did nothing but merely open or close the door, Andros pressed the green button. The sliding doors opened quickly and Andros made his way inside the small ship cabin.

"I've made it into the control room." Andros said as he reestablished his link with the Phantom Ranger. "What do I do now."

Andros could hear the Phantom Ranger's labored breathing and grew concerned, but opted not to voice his opinion.

 **You must insert the disk into the primary slot.**

Andros's eyes scanned over the panel as he looked for an access button. Once he found it and pressed it, a slot open revealing two different insert slots for the disk.

"There are two slots. How do I know which one is the primary? Phantom Ranger? Phantom Ranger, are you there?"

When Zentin refused to respond Andros knew that something had happened to his new comrade. Ignoring his gut feeling, Andros quickly slid the disk into one of the slots. When nothing happened he frowned. This definitely wasn't a good sign.

"I think I chose the wrong slot." He said, hoping that the Phantom Ranger would reply. Before Andros could repeat himself, alarms began blaring throughout the cabin.

 **Delta Megaship security sequence has been activated.** A robotic voice said. **Initiating Delta Megazord transformation sequence now.**

"Well what do you know, I chose the right slot." Andros said as a smile spread across his face.

 **Use your Battleizer to initiate control of the Megazord.** The voice continued. **All of the ship's functions can be controlled from the Battleizer or they can be programmed into the Astro Mega Ship.**

"The Battleizer?" Andros repeated as he raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliarity of the word. A warm sensation enveloped his left wrist and Andros looked down, stunned to find a device similar to a morpher strapped around his arm with three level setting buttons on it. Much to his surprise information on the Battleizer began scrolling across the screen of his visor, filling him in on how to control the new Megazord.

"This is unbelievable." Andros said as the sound of the Zord's engines kicking in reached his ears. He steadied himself against the wall as the ship began shaking for its takeoff. "Hang on guys, I'm coming!"

* * *

"We're completely out of power." Carlos said as he spared a glance at TJ. "What are we going to do? We're like sitting ducks out here."

"Brace yourselves guys." Ashley said as she pointed out the windshield. "They're coming back at us full strength!"

Before the alligators could strike the ship once more, the Delta Megazord dropped in from the sky, landing just in front of the rangers.

"What is that thing?" TJ asked as the others wondered the same thing.

"It's the Delta Megazord." Andros replied as he rushed in through the sliding doors of the shuttle. "Pretty cool, huh."

"You're okay." Ashley said, relief in her voice.

"I'm fine. What about you guys, it looks like things are out of control."

"We can talk about that later." Carlos said. "Let's take those alligators back to the bayou they climbed out of."

"Let's do this then." Andros said as he pressed a command button on his Battlelizer. The Delta Megazord lowered its arms, revealing machine gun barrels attached to them. The Zord fired off several rounds at the gators, getting direct hits.

 **Rangers, the Megaship has regained power!** Alpha's voice came over the intercom. The rangers cheered as the lights flickered back on inside the cabin. They still didn't have too much power on their hands, but they had enough to make it through the battle.

Andros hopped into his seat while TJ and Carlos moved back to their own. The Red Ranger smirked.

"Now it's two against one. Let's finish this battle. Astro Megazord Blaster online!"

The Astro Megazord raised its blaster towards one of the alligators while the Delta Megazord aimed its personal firearms at the other.

"Fire!" Andros commanded, sending off two large beams that destroyed the monsters on impact. When the smoke cleared, the rangers cheered at the realization that they had scored another victory against Astronema.

* * *

Cassie closed her storage cupboard and took a deep breath before heading to the bridge to meet up with the others. Andros was standing next to Alpha and his demeanor was pretty intimidating to the Pink Ranger. She looked away from him before taking a seat beside Carlos and twiddling her thumbs.

"We have once again beaten Astronema's evil forces." Andros began as he began pacing back and forth in front of the rangers. "We also have a new Megazord to help us out during battle thanks to Zordon's keycards that the Phantom Ranger managed to confiscate. Even though we have succeeded today, we have failed in other areas. The Megaship won't be able to take a long voyage until repairs can be made. So we're going to stay within earth's orbit for a little while so I can retrieve supplies from NASADA. I'm sure you all miss your families too. Now would be a good time to pay them a visit, I think."

"I'm sorry for the way I acted today." TJ spoke up suddenly, causing everyone to turn their attention towards him. "I got really worked up over the Phantom Ranger not contacting us and it clouded my judgment. I should have been more understanding to his reasoning and stayed level-headed. I also shouldn't have siphoned power from the engine. It's my fault our search is delayed."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Cassie said as she flashed him an encouraging smile. "I understand why you were upset. Yes, you did get a little out of line; but you've acknowledged that. So now, we can move on and enjoy a quick break before getting back at it."

"Alright then." Andros said with a smile. "We'll spend the night on the ship and head to earth in the morning. I'll be bunking here during our stay, if you don't mind."

With nothing left to say, Andros took off for the dining hall to program a meal while the others went their separate ways. Cassie opted against spending time with her happy teammates as he raised her fingertips to her lips as the memory of her kiss with the Phantom Ranger played over and over again in her mind. It had been everything she had dreamed of and more being able to spend time with him. Malik's illusion the day before did it no justice.

As thoughts of Zentin filled her mind, Cassie immediately grew sad. His injuries had been so severe and she knew he would push his limits on his quest to chase after Dark Specter. She really wished he could have stayed behind.

Just as she prepared to leave the room, D.E.C.A. called out to her.

 **Cassie, you have an incoming transmission.**

Cassie raised an eyebrow before moving to pull the transmission up on the screen. When Zentin's face appeared she smiled.

 **I wanted D.E.C.A. to alert me as soon as you and the others returned to the ship.**

"Where are you?" Cassie asked as she tried to play off how worried she actually was.

 **I'm long gong Cassie. I took my ship and I'm nearly halfway out of the Milky Way Galaxy. I have to try and find a solid lead on Divatox's ship if we ever have a chance at finding Zordon. I will contact you and the others if I hear of any new leads, I promise.**

"Please be careful…and promise to keep in touch?"

Zentin smiled and Cassie felt her insides warm up at the sight of his pearly whites smiling back at her.

 **I promise to get in touch with you soon. We'll meet again. I swear it.**

As the transmission ended Cassie smiled before turning around. She gasped when she spied TJ standing in the doorway watching her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I hope you know what you're doing." He said. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Zentin would never hurt me TJ. Don't worry so much."

TJ watched her for a moment longer before turning away and heading to his room. Cassie couldn't help but to feel a twinge of sadness as she watched him go. It was almost like he was walking away from her for good.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. Leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. I hope you liked the changes that I made and the additional scenes that I added. I also hope that you like that the Phantom Ranger actually has a face and a name! Hooray!**

 **Review!**


	13. The Great Evilyzer

**A/N:** **Thanks to those of you who left me a review for the previous chapter. I'm really glad that you're enjoying the story and the changes that I'm making along the way. I was super excited to introduce an actual persona behind the Phantom Ranger and I hope you all are pleased with him overall as a character and the budding romance between him and Cassie. Now, on with the next chapter!**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)….Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **The Great Evilyzer"**_

Professor Phenomenous hummed quietly to himself as he worked diligently on his latest experiment. It had been nearly a month since his science lab was destroyed by Elephant Titan and his reactor project was put on hold; but that wasn't going to deter the man from bigger goals in life. He had purchased an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Angel Grove to resume his alien research and science experiments and he had to admit, he enjoyed the solitude without the paparazzi hounding him and calling him a mad man. He was a mad scientist. They were two completely different things.

The good professor looked up as Bulk and Skull made their way through the sliding chain link fence carrying boxes filled with supplies like metals, springs, and old scrap. They set the boxes down before moving over to the professor and observing his work.

"What's up doc?" Skull said with a snicker as he laughed at his own corny joke.

Phenomenous straightened his bowtie and brushed the soot off of his white lab coat before stepping back from the newly constructed, yellow ray gun positioned on the makeshift work table. Bulk and Skull leaned closer to get a better view. It looked like a child's plaything made out of plastic, but the two of them knew better.

"With this device, we can give anything an attitude."

"An attitude?" Bulk repeated, making sure he'd heard right.

The professor nodded before motioning towards the box of junk beside Skull. "The racecar please."

Skull shrugged before reaching inside the box and grabbing a toy racecar with a metal man attached to the top of it. He moved to place the toy at the end of the table, furthest away from the ray gun before moving back to join the professor and Bulk.

"Fire away!" he shouted before pointing at the racecar.

Professor Phenomenous adjusted the glasses on his nose before starting up the ray gun. "Let's see…I have a good option and I have an evil option. Let's see how _evil_ we can make this thing."

Bulk and Skull nodded and watched as the professor turned the dial, causing the ray gun to release a green beam that struck the toy racecar. When the beam died down, the racecar remained still on the table.

"Well, why isn't it working?" Bulk asked after a few minutes of silence. "Maybe your ray gun's busted?"

"Or maybe we forgot to put fresh batteries in the car Bulky." Skull pointed out.

Just then, the face of the metal man riding on top of the racecar contorted into an evil and maniacal look- it's eyes a glowing red and its face curled up in a snarl. The racecar revved its engine before speeding towards the three hysterical men and chasing them inside of Professor Phenomenous's parked van.

While the van rocked back and forth, the three stooges running from the racecar on the inside, outside of the van an evil plan was being put into motion. Ecliptor appeared through a portal and smirked as he spared a glance at the van. He then headed over to the table and took the ray gun into his possession.

"Well what do you know? I've been looking for one of these."

With an evil laugh, the space general tightened his hold on the gun before disappearing through the portal once more, leaving Bulk, Skull, and Professor Phenomenous behind.

* * *

Ecliptor walked into Astronema's throne room, the ray gun in hand, as he moved over to a table positioned at the center of the room. Astronema sat upright on her throne, her interest peaking at the sight of the device. When Ecliptor had left an hour before claiming he had a new plan to take down the rangers, she was a little curious as to what the evil general had in mind.

She stood from her throne, the Quantrons keeping guard of her moving to the side, as she made her way over to the table.

"Ecliptor, I see you have returned. What, may I ask, is that?"

"This is the Great Evilyzer created by that nut-job scientist on earth. It fires a ray that has the ability to manipulate the attitude of anything. I have seen it in action and let's just say, the results are very pleasing."

A smile worked its way onto the evil princess's lips, revealing pearly white teeth behind her black cherry covered lips.

"Excellent work Ecliptor. We've been in need of a new weapon to add to the artillery. Now that the Astro Rangers have that new Delta Megazord, we're going to need all the ammunition we can get our hands on to destroy them once and for all."

"I saw that scientist use the Evilyzer on a toy car back on earth and it became insanely evil. Just imagine what kind of effects it would have on the rangers. The wouldn't stand a chance."

"We can test it on the rangers, but I have something _much_ more evil in mind."

Astronema said nothing more as she strode out of the room, her hips swinging from side to side while Ecliptor watched her go. He quickly turned to one of the Quantrons and motioned for him to follow.

* * *

Andros held a scanner in his hand as he and Ashley slowly trekked across the surface of a rocky planet known as Tobia wearing their ranger suits. The planet was very small and resembled a rocky gorge with grass growing in small tuffs here and there with a large lake in the middle. The scanner was beeping rhythmically as they continued on their journey across the planet.

"This is ridiculous." Ashley said as she panted, her chest heaving. "I feel like I've gained a hundred pounds."

"It's because the gravity is denser on this planet in comparison to the others we've previously visited." Andros said. "I know it's tough, but we're almost done searching."

Ashley stopped for a moment to catch her breath and leaned over, her hands resting on her knees. She could feel Andros's hand rest on her back and she groaned.

"Had I known this was gonna be so hard on my body, I would've stayed back on earth with the others while NASADA finishes repairing the ship."

"I told you not to tag along." Andros said with a laugh. "I would've been fine."

"Whatever." Ashley replied with a laugh of her own. "Let's just keep moving."

Just as they prepared to continue their track, Ashley felt her foot slide out from underneath her alongside a loose rock. She gasped before falling and face planting on the ground.

"Ashley!" he heard Andros call out to her as he moved to help her.

She could feel her face burning with a blush and was thankful that Andros couldn't see it behind her helmet.

"I'm fine, I just lost my footing for a second." She said.

"Here, let me help you." Andros said as he crouched down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist while slinging her left arm over his shoulders and helping her onto her feet. She leaned against him for support, the weight of the gravity feeling even more intense than it had before she fell.

Andros's communicator suddenly beeped and he took a deep breath before raising his arm towards his mouth.

"This is Andros, go ahead."

"Hey Andros." TJ's voice flooded through the speaker. "How are things going on Tobia? Have you and Ash managed to find any trace of Dark Specter?"

"I'm afraid not. There's nothing here but a bunch of rocks and green water. The planet's deserted. Ashley and I are gonna head back to earth now. We should be there within an hour or so."

"I guess we'll see you guys at the Youth Center then. Carlos and Adam's soccer team is having a little party to celebrate five wins in a row."

"Right then. See you shortly." Andros ended the communication link before extending his arm towards the sky. "Galaxy Gliders, hang ten!"

The red and yellow Galaxy Gliders appeared in three seconds flat and stopped right beside the two rangers. Andros was careful as he helped Ashley onboard hers. To weakened from the force of Tobia's gravity, the Yellow Ranger was forced to sit upon her board instead of stand. Andros hopped onto his and looked towards her, giving her a thumbs up. The two of them then sped off the planet and out of Tobia's gravitational pull.

Ashley sighed in relief as she felt her body lighten. She slowly stood to her feet, her legs a little wobbly, as she steadied herself.

"Man, am I glad to be off that planet." Andros said, striking up a conversation.

"You and me both." She agreed with a laugh.

"Wanna see something cool?" Andros asked as Ashley looked towards him in interest. Andros leaned forward on the glider, causing it to speed up before jumping up into the air to do a backflip. He then landed on his feet and crossed his arms as he gave Ashley a proud nod.

"That was pretty good." She said with interest. "However, I think I'm a little bit better."

"Oh really? Show me then."

"Challenge accepted." She said before accelerating on her board. Andros's eyes widened as Ashley crouched down and grabbed the nose of the board, forcing it to fly upward. She then did a somersault on the board and once it was upright, she did a handstand and made the board flip over again. She then straightened herself back upright and held her arms out as though she were waiting for applause.

"That was great. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Oh, well I used to be a surfer when I was younger. I took a few lessons and turned out to be a natural. I quit though. I wanted to try something different like cheerleading."

"What's cheerleading?" Andros asked with interest.

"I can show you a few things when we get to the Youth Center. It'll make more sense then."

Before Andros could reply, he could see a green light reflecting off the back of Ashley's helmet. Just as he turned around, he spied a green beam strike the back of the yellow Galaxy Glider. Ashley suddenly began to struggle to stay upright on the glider as it violently began rocking back and forth.

"Hey, what's going on?" she said as she tried to get the board under control. "The gears aren't responding. What's happening?"

"Give me your hand." Andros said quickly as he held his right hand out towards her, but before Ashley could grab him, the glider flipped violently, knocking Ashley off and sending her floating downward. She screamed as she felt her body floating with no way of her to stop it.

Andros did a U-turn on his board and sped towards the falling Yellow Ranger. He held his hand out towards her as he mentally urged for the board to go faster. It didn't take him too long to catch the Yellow Ranger on the back of his board.

"Thanks." Ashley said, her voice shaking. "That was scary. What in the world happened?"

Andros looked all around but couldn't find the source of the green beam. "Something was shot at your glider and caused it to go berserk. This has Astronema written all over it."

Ashley looked up overhead to where her Galaxy Glider could be seen tumbling away. "Should we go and get my glider?"

"Let's not worry about that now. We can come back for it later. Let's go back and tell the others that Astronema's made her first move."

Ashley nodded before standing to her feet and wrapping her arms around Andros's waist. She could feel him tense beneath her touch, but he slowly relaxed, bringing a smile to the Yellow Ranger's lips. She rested her head against his back and squeezed him tight as he revved the engine and sped towards Earth.

* * *

Ashley held Andros's hand as she led him through the front doors of the Youth Center. She raised an eyebrow when she didn't hear the sound of chatter or screaming children; but when she rounded the corner, she figured out why. She smiled and leaned against the doorframe as she watched Adam finish handing out the awards.

"You all played very well this season, and I couldn't be more proud of you all. You have made coaching such a rewarding experience and you've reminded me of why I love sports so much. We only lost two games this season and we won the last five. I think that deserves a round of applause."

All of the people present in the room started clapping and cheering while Adam moved towards a clear plastic cup filled with punch. He stared down into the cup and moved it around as he watched the juice stirring inside. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and he looked up quickly and was met with Carlos's questioning gaze.

Adam smiled before turning back to his team and their parents. "I have an announcement that I need to make and it's really hard for me to come and say it…but…I won't be returning to coach next year."

There were several gasps and noises of disapproval from everyone in the room. Ashley was pretty shocked herself. Adam had been coaching the little league soccer team for nearly five years since he transferred to Angel Grove High School as a freshman. Some of the kids on the team had been with him for all of those years and had grown up with him. Why would he want to leave?

"But why Adam?" a little boy asked. Ashley recognized him as the little boy Patrick who had seen the Craterites when they'd escaped from the Simudeck nearly a month ago. "We don't want you to go. You're the best coach ever."

Adam smiled gratefully before sparing a glance at Tanya who was sitting across the room with Tommy and Katherine, a smile on her face as she gave him an encouraging nod.

"Well, the reason I won't be coaching is because I'm leaving Angel Grove."

"Wait a minute, what?" Ashley whispered in disbelief as she spared a glance at Andros. The Red Ranger simply shrugged. If Adam was leaving, he must have his reasons.

Adam nodded his head as he clasped his right hand over the top of his cup. "I'm going to be moving to Los Angeles at the end of the summer to finish up college at California Southern University so I can be…with my fiancé."

"I'm sorry, with your what?" Carlos said, a look of shock on his face.

A few of the parents began cheering in excitement at the news and Adam nodded. "Tanya and I are getting married."

"Congratulations man!" Carlos said as he patted his friend on the back. "I had no idea you two were that serious."

"Yeah, yeah, well enough about that." Adam said, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Since I'm moving, I won't be here to coach next summer; but I don't want you guys to give up just because I won't be around. You guys are a good team, and you deserve a good coach to be your new leader. So I will be passing the mantle down to Carlos."

Carlos eyes widened in shock while everyone started cheering again. "Really man? You want me to take over the little league."

Adam shrugged. "Sure, why not. I mean, I _did_ teach you everything you know about soccer. You're my protégé in more ways than one, you know?"

Carlos nodded knowingly as his thoughts turned towards the day he received the Green Turbo Ranger powers. "I would be honor to take over as coach."

Adam smiled proudly before extending his hand towards Carlos who took it and shook it firmly.

"To Coach Vallerte!" Adam said as he turned and held his punch cup up in the air.

"To Coach Vallerte!" everyone said in unison. Adam smiled as someone turned the boom box on, filling the room with a soft rock beat while everyone moved to enjoy the food that was spread out on a nearby table.

Ashley took Andros's hand once more and pulled him into the brightly colored room and over to Carlos and Adam. TJ and Cassie made their way over followed by Katherine, Tommy, and Tanya.

"I can't believe you two are getting _married_!" Ashley shrieked as she threw her arms around Tanya and squealed excitedly. "You have to tell me _everything_. Where and when did he propose and when is the wedding? Please tell me I can be a part of it!"

Tanya laughed as she placed both her hands on Ashley's shoulders. "Calm down Ash. Geez, you're more excited than I am."

"Weddings are sort of her thing." Cassie said with a shrug.

Jerome Stone walked around the island counter dressed in a loose cotton, Hawaiian shirt with a huge smile on his face. He walked over to Adam and Tanya and proceeded to give them both a hug.

"I can't believe you two are getting married, and fresh out of high school too." He said with a laugh.

"Not too fresh." Adam said with a smirk while the former lieutenant ruffled his hair playfully.

"I remember when I first met you kids. You guys were always so polite and helpful with the community. Plus, you guys definitely gave me a lot of business when I first took over things for Ernie. You helped me keep this place going. Man, it was hard when you all left for college, but now you're leaving for good?"

"Hey now Jerome, we'll come back and visit." Tanya said with a smile as she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We love this place!"

"Thanks guys. Whoa, it looks like the kids finished off the punch. I'd better go and whip up another bowl. Congratulations again!"

Jerome headed off into the kitchen, the sound of pots and pans clanking once he'd stepped inside.

"Yeah congratulations." Tommy said as he turned his attention back to his friends.. "On a side note, how have things been going with the search?"

TJ looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before motioning for everyone to follow him outside. The group made their way through the tiny hallway and outside to the back courtyard. They all then filed over to a group of benches near a grove of trees and a large fountain.

"We managed to track Zordon to a planet known as Jenovore." TJ said. "It was a planet that experienced very little daylight hours and its civilization was below ground in a cavern system."

"Astronema made business with a creature of the planet known as Malik." Cassie continued. "He has the ability to tear into one's psyche and distort memories in order to create scenarios. He managed to trap Andros and me while Astronema relocated Zordon. Divatox was then given the task of watching Zordon on a jungle planet known as Hercuron; but Dark Specter sensed that someone was on their trail and ordered for him to be moved."

"The Phantom Ranger, an ally from our time as Turbo Rangers was tracking Zordon and he sent us a distress signal." Carlos went on. "But he was discovered and was attacked. By the time we caught up to him, Zordon was long gone."

"We haven't been able to detect Zordon's life force since he was moved from Jenovore." Andros said as he ran a hand through his loose hair. "After the Phantom Ranger lost his trail, there's no telling where Divatox moved him to. But we're going to try and stay optimistic. We figured that if we can't track down Zordon, then we need to track down the next best candidate- Dark Specter."

"Why not track down Divatox?" Katherine spoke up as she and Tommy intertwined their fingers. "If she's the one who has Zordon, she should be the one to track down, right?"

"It isn't that simple." Andros said. "Divatox must be getting help from someone because her energy is completely undetectable. We would have picked up a trace of either hers or one of her Piranhatrons' energy signatures, but we haven't."

"Maybe she's using magic to cover her tracks?" Adam suggested.

"Or maybe someone else is providing her with the magic." Tommy said as he scratched his chin in deep thought. "It's more than likely Rita and Zedd. They have to be a part of Dark Specter's grand master plan somehow."

"So your search on Tobia came up empty-handed, huh?" Cassie said with a disappointed look on her face.

Andros and Ashley nodded.

"We were on our way back when something struck the back of my Galaxy Glider and made it go crazy. I couldn't get my balance. It was like the board was fighting me."

"We were actually gonna head out to NASADA and scan my glider to see if any of the negative energy that struck Ashley's glider managed to make its way to my board."

"Let's go and see then." TJ said.

Andros nodded and stood to his feet. He paused suddenly, earning a raised eyebrow from Ashley as he turned to face Tommy and the others.

"Would you guys like to see the Megaship?"

* * *

"Your rendezvous with the rangers was a success Ecliptor." Astronema said, a look of pleasure on her face as she tucked a strand of her curly black hair behind her ear. "The Evilyzer is definitely a treasure and I intend to use it to its full potential."

"But he didn't even manage to hit the Yellow Ranger with the ray gun." Elgar pointed out, earning him a slap in the back of the head from Ecliptor.

"Who cares if he missed the ranger?" Astronema scoffed. "I have a much bigger plan in mind. Ecliptor, I want you to head down to the lab and help the Quantrons begin construction on a second Evilyzer. This one needs to be much bigger than the first model."

"What are you going to do with it Astronema?" Elgar asked.

"Big things Elgar…very big things. I need you to launch an attack on Angel Grove to distract the rangers. I need a little time for Ecliptor and my Quantrons to finish constructing the new Evilyzer. You'd better not screw up or I'll have your disgusting, pointy head severed and mounted on the wall in the lobby."

"Eek, right away Astronema!" Elgar yelped before running out of the room.

* * *

"This place is amazing!" Katherine exclaimed as she admired the interior of the Megaship. Andros had just finished the grand tour and was leading everyone back to the bridge. "Your people are so technologically advanced that it's mind boggling. It's going to take _years_ for scientists and inventors on earth to catch up to this technology."

"I'm sure that once Dark Specter has been obliterated and my people can return to the colony, things will continue to progress." Andros said with a smile.

TJ and Carlos entered the room wheeling the red Galaxy Glider into the room on a gurney of sorts. Andros nodded towards them in thanks before moving to a panel on the far right wall. A keypad appeared and he input a code causing the floor to part ways in a small section of the room. Tanya, Adam, Tommy, and Katherine watched with interest as a supply table rose from the floor. There was a large machine attached to the other side of the table with a computer monitor and a keyboard attached to it.

Ashley grabbed a scanner off the top of the table while Carlos and Andros moved to connect two cables from the monitor to the glider. The others watched with interest as the three of them ran a diagnostics test.

"This glider checks out just fine." Andros said as he placed his hand to his chin in thought. "It's not giving off any abnormal readings."

"So my glider is the only one that was hit." Ashley concludes as she shuts the portable scanner off and sets it back on the table.

 **It could be that the ray reversed the glider's central ion disseminators.**

"Possibly." Andros said with a nod of his head.

"Possibly what?" Ashley asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's an ion…whatever?"

"Long story short, the ray reversed the Galaxy Glider's programming from a positive to negative charge."

"Like good to evil?" Carlos questioned.

"Exactly." Andros said. "Whatever that ray was, it has to ability to change anything's emotional charge from good to evil."

"That's not good." Ashley said as she ran a hand through her loose hair. "That ray just barely missed me."

"Well, it's a good thing it didn't." TJ said with a smile.

"Man, does this bring back memories." Tanya sighed. "When are the bad guys gonna give up on the whole brainwashing or making an evil ranger concept?"

"Tell me about it." Tommy groaned. "I was always a pawn in someone's evil game, whether it was being Rita's evil Green Ranger or being brainwashed by the Machine Empire into thinking I was the supreme ruler and the enemy of the Power Rangers."

"But just like always, we managed to win in the end." Katherine said.

"What do you say we start up the next search for Zordon?" TJ suggested as he moved to grab a clipboard from one of the sideboards.

Before Andros could reply, the alarms started blaring throughout the ship. Cassie quickly moved to the main controls and had an image pulled up onscreen in five seconds flat. There was a large lobster-like creature attacking downtown Angel Grove. It was standing on two legs, it had beady black eyes, and long pinchers for arms. Not to mention to feelers on its head. The reddish-orange creature extended its right arm towards a large apartment complex and fired a large beam, splitting the building in half.

"It looks like you guys are needed back in Angel Grove." Tommy said. "You'd better hurry before that monster has the chance to hurt someone. We'll head back to the Youth Center and wait for you there."

"Right." Andros said with a nod before turning to the rest of the team. "Let's rock it!"

* * *

The Astro Rangers ran through the streets of downtown Angel Grove while the town's citizens ran past in a frenzy. Debris from wrecked buildings littered the streets and a few fires had broken out.

"There he is!" Carlos shouted as he pointed up towards the sky. The other rangers looked up and spied the lobster creature firing off beams from the top of a business complex.

"Let's move!" Andros shouted as he extended his hand towards the creature. "Teleport, now!"

The rangers disappeared in a flash of light before reappearing on the roof of the business complex; but much to their surprise, the lobster creature was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't understand. The monster was just here." Cassie said as she looked around in confusion. "Where could it have gone?"

"Do you hear that?" Andros asked as he held up a hand for his friends to be quiet. "It sounds like…an earthquake."

"No, it's more like footsteps." Cassie said.

"Very _big_ footsteps." Carlos said as he and the others continued to look around.

Suddenly, a monster appeared as if from out of nowhere and came charging towards them, plowing straight through the rangers and knocking them all to the ground. Andros rolled back onto his feet and noticed that this monster was different from the lobster. It looked like a raging bull standing on two legs with a giant drill for a nose.

"Astro Blasters, now!" Andros commanded as he whipped his firearm out. The other rangers ran to stand beside him, forming a horizontal line as they pulled out their own firearms and aimed at the creature. The monster scuffed its foot against the ground three times before charging towards the rangers.

"Fire!" Andros commanded as he and the others left off a few rounds from their weapons. The monster fell to the ground, smoke seeping off its body as it collapsed before it suddenly disappeared.

"That's it?" Ashley said in disbelief.

"Not quite." Cassie said, her voice sounding panicked. "Turn around."

The others turned around and were surprised to see the lobster monster standing beside Claw Hammer and Elephant Titan, two of the monsters they had previously defeated in battle. The monster they had just defeated also reappeared and didn't appear to have a scratch on it.

"This is bad." Ashley said, her voice sounding small and squeaky.

"Come on guys, we can take 'em." Carlos said as he pumped his fist into the air.

Just then, a green beam shot down from the sky, striking the lobster creature and making it grow. The monster wasted no time destroying two more buildings.

"Oh no!" Cassie shouted.

"Let's take care of these guys first." Andros said, pulling the rangers' attention away from the lobster monster. "It's better for us to fight one enlarged monster than four. Power Weapons, now!"

The rangers quickly summoned their weapons and charged towards their three opponents- Cassie and TJ striking Elephant Titan, Carlos and Ashley taking a crack at Claw Hammer, and Andros finishing up by slicing the drill-nosed monster with his spiral saber. The rangers jumped back away from their opponents and were stunned to see that their weapons did little to no damage.

"You've got be kidding." Andros said in disbelief. "I thought we had them for sure!"

"Time for plan-B?" TJ suggested.

"Right. Let's get rid of the sea food special, then we can deal with these guys when we're done. D.E.C.A., deploy the Delta Megazord, now!"

The rangers looked up towards the sky and were relieved to see the Delta Megazord soaring down from the sky. Andros flicked his wrist, summoning his Battleizer.

"Blasters online!" he shouted.

The Delta Megazord summoned its blasters and began to fire mercilessly upon the lobster creature. Just then another green beam shot down from the sky, enveloping the Megazord in a green light. The Delta Megazord suddenly ceased fire and lowered its arms.

"Huh? Blasters, online!" Andros shouted, but nothing happened. "Delta Megazord, respond. Blasters online!"

The ground began shaking as the Delta Megazord suddenly took flight and flew overhead. The three monsters that had previously been attacking the rangers suddenly disappeared, leaving them all dumbfounded.

"Okay, what's going on?" Cassie asked.

The rangers were answered by the sound of loud explosions erupting everywhere around them.

"The Delta Megazord is attacking the city!" TJ said in disbelief.

"Delta Megazord, _stop_!" Andros screamed as he ran towards their new weapon; but before he could shout another command, the Megazord extended its arm towards the approaching ranger and open fired. The blast was so powerful that Andros was propelled up into the air and sent flying across the rooftop before he slammed against the wall.

"Andros!" Ashley screamed as she and the others ran towards him. The Yellow Ranger crouched down and helped him sit up as she checked him over for any injuries. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me." He said through gritted teeth as he wrapped a hand around his side. It hurt to breathe and he felt like his sides were gonna cave in, but he wasn't going to let his teammates know how badly he was injured. "We need to stop the Delta Megazord from destroying Angel Grove. Astro Megazord, online!"

The rangers waited patiently as the Astro Megazord approached from overhead. It appeared to be in much better shape than it had been in after their last battle. Hopefully, it would be able to withstand this attack.

"Teleportation now!" The rangers shouted as they teleported from the rooftop into the control room of the Megazord. They all quickly took their seats, strapped themselves in, and took hold of their controls before moving to stand in front of the Delta Megazord.

"The Delta Megazord isn't under my control." Andros said through gritted teeth. "No matter what I do, it won't respond to my commands."

"That green beam that struck the Megazord wasn't like the first one." TJ pointed out.

"No, it wasn't." Ashley said. "It actually looked like the beam that struck my Galaxy Glider on our way back from Tobia."

"That means the Delta Megazord's programming has been hit with a negative charge." Cassie concludes. "It's evil. There's no way we're going to get it to respond."

Just then, the Delta Megazord charged towards the Astro Megazord tackling it and pushing it up against the building. The rangers were knocked around inside the cabin, but they managed to stay in their seats. The Delta Megazord wound its arm up before striking the Astro Megazord in the face. The Astro Megazord then pushed against its attacker, pushing it away; but before it could defend itself, the Delta Megazord had switched its operations and was open firing with its blasters, causing significant damage to the Astro Megazord.

"Delta Megazord, I order you to stop your attack." Andros spoke into his Battleizer again in an attempt to regain control, but the Megazord still refused to respond to his commands.

The Delta Megazord outstretched its right arm which had formed into an even powerful blaster. The rangers could see the blast powering up and knew they were about to take a heavy hit.

"Summon the shields, now!" TJ shouted.

"We can't." Cassie said as she pressed the shield button. "It looks like NASADA didn't get the chance to repair them. They're stuck!"

The Delta Megazord unleashed its blast and the Astro Megazord sustained a significant amount of damage. Smoke began to spew up into the air from the control panels as sparks shot off the outside of the Megazord.

"We aren't gonna be able to take another hit like that." Ashley realized. "You guys, we have to do something."

"Alpha, try and gather up enough of our resources to send off a reverse polarization signal." Andros spoke into his communicator. "You've got to calculate a frequency immediately."

 **Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi Andros. The frequency is unknown. It will be nearly impossible to develop a signal.**

"We've done the impossible before Alpha. Come on, we have to try! Give us your closest calculation."

 **Sending calculation now.**

Andros sighed in relief when Alpha's calculated coordinates appeared on the Megazord's monitors. He quickly typed in the coordinates and a new panel appeared with an empty slot in its center. Andros removed his Battleizer and placed it into the crevice.

"If this works, we will have a limited amount of time to get the Delta Megazord back under our control. We have to work fast."

"Right." The others replied quickly.

The Astro Megazord swung its arms over its head and downward before resting them at its sides. A cavity then opened on its chest revealing a large ray gun. The gun then fired of a large yellow beam and struck the Delta Megazord who began to thrash against the force of the new ray.

"Don't stop firing until I give the command." Andros said.

"But Andros, the temperature is red lining." Ashley protested. "We don't have enough power to operate the Megazord to its full potential already. We could lose the Megazord altogether if we keep this up."

"We're gonna make it." Andros reassured her. "Look, we're starting to wear him down."

Suddenly, the control panels sparked all at once, darkening the inside of the cabin. Alarms were blaring all throughout the Megazord.

"We're completely out of power." Carlos realized.

"What about the Delta Megazord?" Cassie wondered.

"It's taking off." TJ said.

"Then let's follow it." Andros said.

The Astro Megazord took off after the Delta Megazord and out of earth's orbit.

"Is the Delta Megazord back on our side?" Carlos wondered.

"There's only one way to find out." Andros said. "Begin transformation to the Astro Delta Megazord."

"Right." The others said in unison as they set up their controls.

The rangers waited patiently as the Delta Megazord began to split apart beside them before moving and latching onto the front of the Astro Megazord. The cabin shook violently as the docking finished completing and the lights came back to life.

"It worked!" Andros said.

"It nearly cost us all of our energy; but yeah, it worked." Ashley said with a laugh.

"Let's head back to earth and take out that lobster monster." Andros said as he eased the controls forward.

The Astro Delta Megazord made its way back down to earth, landing right in front of the lobster monster; but much to the rangers' surprise, the other three monsters had grown in size as well.

"Think we can take them?" TJ asked, sounding confident.

"I know we can." Andros replied. "Battleizer online. Flying Power Punch!"

Andros quickly pressed the first button on the Battleizer and the Megazord's two fists detached from its arms before flying towards the lobster monster through the air. Both fists struck the creature, destroying it on impact; and surprisingly, the other monsters disappeared as well. It would seem that they were all tied to the lobster.

"And there's another victory for the Power Rangers." Cassie exclaimed while the others cheered excitedly.

* * *

Astronema glared at the smoking remnants of the Evilyzer, her left fist curled tightly around her staff. Two Quantrons quickly moved in to take the ruined device away to be thrown into the scrapyard where it belonged.

"You know? You should put me in charge around here." Elgar said with a laugh as he nudged Astronema's arm playfully. "I would've been able to take out those rangers no problem."

Astronema turned suddenly and shoved the tip of her staff in Elgar's surprised face. The color quickly drained from his face as his lips moved quickly, scrambling to find something to say.

"You talk _way_ too much." She snarled through gritted teeth. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave my presence at once."

"Yeah, no problem boss lady!" Elgar said with a nervous laugh before running out of the room.

Astronema growled angrily before stomping over to her throne and collapsing in her seat. She crossed her legs and rested her elbow on the arm rest before resting her chin in the palm of her hand. Ecliptor cleared his throat before approaching.

"We may have failed this battle my princess, but we will have our chance to destroy the rangers. They may have the Astro Delta Megazord, but I know that you will find a way to cut off their access to it completely. So tell me my daughter, what is our next step?"

Astronema sighed before sitting upright on her throne. "I need you to travel to the thirty-fourth quadrant of the galaxy to retrieve Mama-mite."

Ecliptor's eyes widened at the request. "Mama-mite, understood."

"Oh, and Ecliptor…I need you to send a message to the planet Jenovore to Malik. Tell him that I request his presence immediately; and if he would like to continue to go on leaving a peaceful life, he will be here by tomorrow at the latest."

"As you wish, my princes."

Once Ecliptor left the throne room, Astronema took a shaky breath to calm herself. She was finally alone and free to let her mask drop. Her hardened eyes softened into ones that were sad and worn. Her snarl slipped into a deep frown that made her forehead crease from the tension.

So she had botched another mission? Dark Specter would not be pleased. How much longer was he going to allow her to continue failing? She had proven herself to be a great asset when she destroyed the Astro Rangers during the raid on KO-35 and she had gained his trust; but the Red Ranger's survival was cutting deep into that trust.

"You will meet your maker Red Ranger." She said, her voice shaking. "The time will come where you will be on your knees, begging me for mercy…and I shall show you none."

* * *

Katherine hummed softly to herself as she finished wiping off the tables in the Youth Center. Meanwhile, Tommy was busy emptying the trash, Adam was mopping the floor, and Tanya was moving furniture back to its rightful place while helping Jerome pack things away into containers.

"Well, that's the last of the food Jerome." Tanya said with a smile as she sealed the plastic container with its matching red lid. "It was delicious by the way."

"Thanks Tanya, I'm glad you liked my chicken salad. It's a family recipe, you know?"

"Well, you've got to let me borrow it for the wedding. My family would love it just as much as they love my mothers."

"I'd be glad to lend it to you for the special occasion."

Tanya turned to go help the others when she spotted a news program on the television. When she spotted the Astro Power Rangers fighting on the rooftop of a business building downtown she grabbed the remote and turned the volume all the way up so the others could hear.

" _The Power Rangers have managed to save the city again!"_ The female reporter exclaimed. _"Earlier this afternoon, four creatures appeared and were wreaking havoc on Angel Grove, one more than the others. Just when we thought things were bad, things got worse when the rangers new robot ally who helped save the town just a few days ago started attacking the city too."_

"What?" Tommy said, his interest peaking as he set the box of trash bags down and moved over to stand by Tanya. Adam and Katherine joined them as they all looked on with interest.

" _The rangers retreated into space after the robot and when they returned, the two robots became an even bigger robot. Long story short, the rangers were victorious and destroying the creatures. Although we lost four major buildings in the attacks, there were few casualties. It has been a sad and disastrous day, but it could have been worse had the Power Rangers not been here to save us. This is Cynthia Perkins, signing off."_

"That Evilyzer weapon managed to take control of their Megazord?" Katherine said in disbelief. "That's a new trick."

"Yeah, but in the end, the rangers managed to get the job done." Tommy said. "Just like I knew they would."

The others were silent as they continued to look at the screen.

"It's so weird seeing things from this point of view." Tanya said as she grabbed hold of Adam's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm so used to being the superhero with the secret identity helping people. Now, we're on the outside of things, knowing what it feels like to be on the inside."

"Zordon and Alpha said we couldn't be rangers forever." Tommy said trying his best to sound optimistic. "We have other paths to walk in life aside from just being rangers. I mean look at us. We graduated high school guys. We're all in college working hard to earn degrees so we can make something of ourselves. Hell, Tanya and Adam, you two are about to get married. That's a huge path to travel down. You guys will be living in your own house someday starting and raising a family together."

Tanya and Adam exchanged a smile before hugging each other close.

"Kat and I will find ourselves on a path like that someday, whether it be together or with someone else. The point is, there is more to life than being a Power Ranger. We left our powers in good hands. Yeah, they're not perfect, but neither were we; and someday, they're gonna find themselves in the same place we're in now- on a different path."

Katherine smiled before wrapping her arms around Tommy's torso and leaning her head against her chest. "Yeah…they will."

* * *

Ashley and Andros were busy riding on Andros Galaxy Glider through the depths of space towards where they'd lost the yellow Galaxy Glider. They had been flying for nearly an hour now, but neither one of them were complaining. They'd barely said anything during their journey. They simply flew along together enjoying each other's company.

"I see it!" Ashley exclaimed suddenly, startling the Red Ranger and making him jump. She couldn't contain her laughter as he tried to recompose myself. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Let's fly closer so I can jump onto it."

"You've got it." Andros said as he leaned forward and headed towards the wobbling glider. Ashley wound up her arms before leaping off the red Galaxy Glider and onto the yellow. She struggled to stay onboard, but managed to gain some sort of balance. She then pulled out her Astro Blaster, that Alpha had charged with a positive frequency before they'd left earth, and fired. Slowly but surely, the galaxy glider calmed down and came to an abrupt stop.

"It worked!" Ashley said as she pumped her fist in the air.

"Right. Let's get back to earth then." Andros said with a smile. "We still have a lot of work to be done before we can take off in the Megaship again."

"Race you there!" Ashley said.

"You're on."

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. Review!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	14. Grandma Matchmaker

**A/N:** **Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. My computer automatically upgraded itself to Windows 10, and as an ending result, my entire computer crashed and I lost just about everything on my hard drive. The Geek Squad at Best Buy was able to retrieve all of my photos and my videos, but my fanfiction folder was completely wiped out and I've had to rewrite a bunch of work from memory.**

 **All that aside, I have my laptop back now and I have backed all of my new files up to one drive. I have learned that backing up files is very important, because you never know when situations like this will arise. I hope I haven't lost any of you faithful reviewers during my absence.**

 **One more thing!**

 **I had a reader PM me asking about the sequel to this story** _ **Falling Stars**_ **and where they could read it. Unfortunately, I did not publish** _ **Falling Stars**_ **to in spite of it being complete. I wanted to finish the series rewrite before uploading the prequel so everyone would gain a little bit of interest in the former Astro Rangers before I posted it. Now, on with the story.**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)….Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

 **" _Grandma Matchmaker"_**

Ashley's eyes skimmed over the pages of her latest library rental as a soft smile spread across her lips as she sat alone in Angel Grove Park. She had chosen to read a modern take on the classic tale of _Romeo & Juliet _and she was loving every minute of the story. Instead of the novel taking place in Shakespearian time, this story took place in a modern day high school. The Romeo and Juliet of the story were children of two major CEOs who disliked one another, which made their relationship near impossible to endure.

This was the second romance novel the Yellow Ranger had started reading since her two week stay on earth had started. She couldn't explain why reading about love and romance appealed to her. Perhaps it was because her feelings for Andros were growing deeper and deeper with each passing day.

Since the rangers had docked on earth following their battle with Astronema's Evilyzer, the two of them had spent more time together than they had with the other rangers. Ashley had taken him with her to see _City of Angels_ the day before and they had gone out to eat at several different restaurants for lunch and dinner so Andros could get a taste of different cultural foods. Ashley giggled to herself as she recalled the horrified expression on Andros's face when Ashley showed him how to eat a crawdad. He had squirmed in his chair, claiming it looked like a red cockroach, much to her amusement; but the Red Ranger pushed his fears aside and managed to eat eight of the sea bugs.

Ashley was pulled from her thoughts as a feeling of uneasiness swept over her, almost as though she were being watched. She looked up just in time to see a manila envelope being tossed her way. She snatched it midair before looking in the direction it had come from. An older woman in her late sixties wearing green overalls overtop a red flannel shirt, with red sunglasses, and a pink baseball cap could be seen smiling at her. Ashley's face lit up as she squealed and ran over to the woman.

"I don't believe it, grandma!" she exclaimed as the older woman pulled her in for a hug. "I can't believe you're here in Angel Grove. What are you doing here? Dad and mom didn't say anything about you coming for a visit."

Elizabeth, or "Liz" Hammond smiled at her granddaughter before grabbing her hand and leading her back towards the park bench Ashley had been sitting on moments earlier.

"I wanted my visit to be a surprise dear. I spoke with your father on the phone a few nights ago and he assured me that you would be in town for a few more days before you had to take off again with your classmates for your studying adventure. I can't believe how engrossed in your studies you are. You've gotten a little taller since I saw you last. Not to mention more and more beautiful."

Ashley blushed as her grandmother twisted her index finger around one of her spiral curls that were being held in place by two white barrettes. Ashley cleared her throat before holding up the manila envelope that had been tossed her way earlier.

"Thanks grandma. So, what's in this envelope? It seems pretty full."

"Inside that particular envelope lies an important key to your future. The man who is going to be your husband!"

Ashley's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening at the suggestion. "I'm sorry, did you just say my future _husband_?"

"You heard correct my dear. Now come on. I saw this neat little place called the Surf Spot on my way into town and we have to go and have lunch. We can discuss the details more in depth over a nice meal!"

Ashley opened her mouth to protest, but Liz had already yanked her off the bench and was pulling her towards a yellow taxi cab waiting nearby.

* * *

Ashley's chin rested in the palm of her hand as her grandmother spilled the contents of the manila envelope out on the Surf Spot's island. Adele smiled as she picked up one of the photographs, admiring the young high school graduate in his Angel Grove High cap and gown, his diploma in hand.

"Now this one is a sharp young thing. Honey, if I were a few years younger, I would gladly take that boy out for a night he wouldn't forget."

Liz laughed and shoved Ashley's shoulder playfully before spreading a few more photographs out and picking up the closet one to her.

"This is Nick. He has plans for being a doctor when he graduates college. In his spare time, he likes to golf and swim. Then this one here is Cameron. He's the outdoorsy type. You know, hiking, fishing, swimming, mountain climbing…Oh, this is Jamal. He wants to open his own business once he's finished college. Oh, you two would be perfect together Ashley. Why, with your fashion sense and love for design, you could open your own clothing emporium!"

"Sounds like a win-win to me." Adele said as she gave Ashley a wink.

"Oh, then look at this one honey." Liz continued as she held up a picture of a guy around her age with long brown hair gathered in a ponytail. "He is so handsome. Why, just think of what your kids would look like!"

"Kids grandma?" Ashley said as a look of panic swam across her face. "I'm sorry grandma, I appreciate the thought, but I don't even _need_ a husband. I mean, I'm seventeen years old. My senior year of high school starts in the fall and I haven't even begun thinking about putting in college applications. Why would I even consider thinking of marriage right now? I'm too young."

"Too young?" Liz said with a chuckle. "That's just nonsense honey. Why, your late grandfather and I got married right out of high school and immediately began our lives together. Why, I had your father when I was just nineteen-years-old. It's never too early to start building a loving home."

Ashley was about to protest when a warm handed rested on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled at the sight of Carlos.

"Hey Ash, what's going-"

"Carlos!" she shouted suddenly, surprising both him and her grandmother. Ashley smiled nervously before turning to her grandmother. "Grandma, this is Carlos. He's my…boyfriend!"

Carlos's eyes widened in disbelief. "I am?"

"He is?" Adele said, a look of suspicion on her face. You couldn't blame the woman for being surprised by this news. Ashley and Carlos had been coming into the Surf Spot since with their group of friends as soon as she opened the doors. Not once did it ever seem like there was chemistry between the two teens.

"Your boyfriend?" Liz said as a smile started to form on her face.

Ashley could see Carlos open his mouth out the corner of her eye and stomped down on his foot hard before leaning close enough so he could hear her.

"Just play along." She whispered before giving him a warning glare.

"Yeah, I'm her boyfriend." He said with a nervous chuckle.

"We've been dating for…a year!" Ashley said as she continued to build onto her make-believe story.

"A year?" Adele said as she shook her head. "See, this is when I have to make my exit."

Adele snatched up an empty water pitcher before making her way into the kitchen, leaving Ashley, Liz and Carlos alone for the time being.

"Carlos huh?" Liz said as she began to walk in circles around him, eyeing him closely. She reached a hand out and squeezed Carlos's arm, impressed by how firm his muscles seemed to be beneath his black hoodie.

Just then, Ashley and Carlos's communicators beeped. They exchanged a nervous glance while Liz looked around in confusion.

"What in the world is that sound?"

Carlos cleared his throat suddenly. "Um, I'm suddenly very thirsty. Ms. Hammond, would you mind getting us some drinks?"

"Not at all honey. And please, call me Liz. We have so much to learn about each other."

"Yeah." Ashley said as she scratched the back of her head. "We'll be right back grandma. I promise not to keep you waiting too long."

Liz made her way over to the counter while Ashley and Carlos ran out into the back hall near the employee entrance to avoid being overheard.

"This is Carlos." Carlos said as he and Ashley leaned close to his communicator.

" _Carlos, it's TJ. Andros just messaged me and Cassie from the Megaship. It seems Astronema has sent a new monster to downtown Angel Grove. The monster hasn't started attacking yet, but there's no telling what it's got up its sleeve. Can you meet us there?"_

"Ash and I are together at the Surf Spot. We'll be there soon."

" _Right."_

Ashley and Carlos exchanged a glance before nodding and lifting their sleeves to reveal their morphers; but just before they could suit up and head downtown, Liz called out to them.

"What are you two doing back here?" she said with a laugh. "If you needed a little alone time, you can have all the time you need later. Now come on. I just ordered us some milkshakes. I want to know more about you Carlos. You seem like a fine young gentleman!"

Ashley and Carlos exchanged another glance. Right now, there was a monster that could potentially start wreaking havoc on downtown Angel Grove and they were trapped with Liz and her milkshakes.

* * *

Andros, Cassie, and TJ ran through the parking garage of a real estate building as they neared the parking lot where Astronema's latest monster could be seen placing its hand on the ground and talking to itself.

"There it is." Cassie said as they got closer. "Hey you, what do you think you're doing?"

"Ah, so the Power Rangers have finally arrived." The monster said with a laugh. The monster appeared to be a giant bug that sort of reminded TJ of the Mothra creature from old Japanese films. It had large glowing blue eyes and two feelers on its head, with white and tan feathered fur covering it. It was obviously a female creature, but it was built like a male at the same time.

"What has Astronema sent you to do?" Cassie demanded to know.

"Now what fun would it be if I told you?" the monster laughed. "I am Mama-mite. My mission is to destroy you Power Rangers. How does that sound?"

"Let's go." Andros commanded as he charged towards the insect with Cassie and TJ right behind him.

The three rangers began to attack Mama-mite, teaming up with a combination of punches and kicks, but none of them could get a solid hit. One of Mama-mite's arms resembled a giant cocoon with a stinger attached to it, and she was using it as both a weapon and a shield to fend off the rangers. Andros ran towards the monster and leaped into the air as he brought his arm down in a slicing motion, but Mama-mite simply laughed and used her free arm to block the ranger before jamming her stinger into the Red Ranger's side. Andros cried out as sparks spat off his suit. Mama-mite then tossed him carelessly to the side, where he landed with a thud on the concrete. TJ and Cassie were by his side in an instant, both of them checking him over for serious injury.

"That really stung." Andros said through gritted teeth as he pressed both his hands against the wound in his side.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Cassie asked worriedly as her hand rested against his back.

"For now, yes."

"Andros, we're here!" Carlos's voice came from behind them. The rangers turned around and smiled at the sight of Ashley and Carlos running towards them, suited up and read for battle.

"Ah, finally." Mama-mite said. "All five of the rainbow brats have come to meet their maker. I can deal with all of you at once. Astronema will be most pleased."

"Alright guys. Let's zap this bug." Andros said as he stood to his feet. "Summon blasters now. Spiral Saber, Booster Mode."

"Quadro Blaster." Carlos said as he and the other three rangers extended their hands towards the sky, summoning their combined power canon.

"Lock on target now." Andros commanded as they all repositioned themselves so the barrels of their weapon were aimed at Mama-mite.

Mama-mite didn't even make an attempt to escape the rangers' blasts and screamed in agony as the two orbs of energy slammed into her, reducing her to a cloud of dust and sparks. The rangers cheered before putting away their blasters and powering down to their civilian forms.

Andros hissed as his right hand touched the sting he'd received earlier. Ashley was by his side in an instant. She ignored the blush warming her cheeks as she lifted the side of his shirt and observed the wound carefully. It looked like an enlarged mosquito bite and it was bleeding.

"This looks pretty bad." She said, avoiding his gaze. "We should get it bandaged up."

"It's not as bad as it looks." He reassured her before resting a hand on her shoulder. Ashley finally looked up to meet his gaze and could see the blush on his cheeks too. She smiled before standing to her feet.

"I still think we should bandage you up just in case. I'd hate for it to get infected."

"Then bandage it I will." He said smiling back at her.

"Where were you two earlier?" TJ asked, suddenly changing the subject. "You weren't exactly on time when we called you earlier."

"We sort of got held up with a little lying." Carlos said, earning questioning looks from Cassie and Andros.

"What do you mean by that?" Cassie asked as they all headed towards Carlos's jeep to grab the first aid kit he kept on handy during soccer practice and games.

"My grandma's in town visiting from Florida." Ashley said as Carlos opened his trunk and began fishing around for the first-aid kit. "She's sort of a professional matchmaker. She's really determined to find me a suitable gut to marry."

"I think that's kind of sweet." Cassie said. "She's looking out for you."

"More like forcing guys I don't even know in my face." Ashley sighed. "I know she means well and I love her, but the woman hasn't even been in town for more than two hours and she's already driving me crazy. I'm a teenager. I'm not supposed to be thinking about marriage right now. I need to finish high school, go to college, and start a successful career before I can even think about getting married and having kids. What's the rush?"

"I showed up at the Surf Spot while Adele and Ms. Hammond were giggling over all these pictures of matchmaking candidates. When Ashley saw me, she told her grandmother that I was her boyfriend to get her to drop the whole matchmaking thing; but her grandma got real excited and wants to know _everything_ about me. How tall I am, my weight, my favorite food, my hobbies, and so on."

TJ and Cassie giggled at the horrified look on Carlos's face while Andros watched in amusement.

"Look Ash, we've been friends for a long time now and I don't mind helping you out when you're in a bind. I mean, we tried dating once before, remember? Things turned out better for us being friends than being in a relationship. We can't go on pretending that we're dating. This whole thing just doesn't feel right."

"Sure you can." TJ said as he playfully shoved Carlos. "Of course, you'd eventually have to get married."

"Would you stop it TJ, this isn't funny." Ashley said as she smacked his arm and folded her arms across her chest to pout.

"This whole situation is very…interesting…" Andros said as Cassie began to wrap his wound. "I know that you don't want to disappoint your grandmother, but you could always tell her the truth."

"There you two are." Liz's voice suddenly came from behind them. The rangers looked up and spied Liz power walking towards them with a huge smile on her face. Cassie tied off Andros's last bandage and the Red Ranger pulled his shirt back down just as Liz reached them.

"Aren't you two lovebirds just adorable?" she gushed as she reached into her giant handbag and pulled out a camera. "I'm gonna take a picture of the two of you. Now, smile!"

"Ms. Hammond." Carlos said quickly as he and Ashley stood up. "I mean, Liz…look, I really care for your granddaughter, and she will always be one of my best friends, but…Ashley and I aren't really dating. We made up the whole thing. I'm sorry."

Liz lowered the camera as her smile slowly faded into a frown. "Oh, is that true?"

Ashley took a deep breath before nodding. "Yes."

Suddenly, a thoughtful look came upon Liz's face. "Oh…but you really do like him…don't you?"

Carlos and Ashley exchanged a glance before smiling and looking back towards her.

"Yes grandma, I do. Carlos is great!"

"That's wonderful. Then you two can go on your first date together. Oh, I have the _perfect_ thing for you to wear. I picked these up at a cute little store on my way over here."

Carlos and Ashley watched with looks of horror on their faces as Liz reached into her giant bag and pulled out two matching Hawaiian shirts composed of orange, red, black, and yellow colors with images of sunsets and palm trees on them. TJ couldn't keep himself under control as he started laughing. Cassie had a look of amusement on her face while Andros raised an eyebrow at the strange design on the clothing.

* * *

Astronema paced back and forth across her throne room as she stared down at the metal floor beneath her feet. She had been waiting patiently to hear back from Mama-mite on her progress regarding her latest mission, yet the insect had yet to contact her within the past two hours. The princess stopped her pacing as the sliding doors to her throne room opened and Ecliptor walked in, his heavy footsteps echoing loudly against the metal flooring.

"My princess, it would seem that Mama-mite was destroyed by the rangers."

A look of infuriation rose onto Astronema's face as she clenched her hands into tight fists. "Destroyed you said? Those rangers are _always_ getting in the way of my plans. What about the eggs? Please tell me the eggs have hatched and all of my hard work wasn't for nothing!"

"When I last spoke with Mama-mite she was going to try and speed the hatching process up. Now that she's destroyed, we'll have no way of knowing when the eggs will hatch; but when they do, Angel Grove will be destroyed in a matter of minutes. It will just take some time."

"I want the eggs to hatch now." Astronema whined as she sauntered over to her throne and collapsed in a huff.

"I know my princess. This is just a reminder that patience is virtue."

"My patience is running thin Ecliptor…and so is Dark Specter's. He so graciously allowed me the chance to exact my revenge against the Red Ranger and I continue to come up short in the end. Those rangers always manage to one-up me and it's really starting to become a nuisance. I'm sick of always coming in last."

"But you aren't in last my princess. In fact, you are winning."

"Please Ecliptor. Enlighten me."

"Have you forgotten that you are the one who holds Zordon within captivity. Only you and I know his whereabouts. As long as we have Zordon, we have leverage over the rangers. So in fact, it is _you_ who is one step ahead. Yes, we may be losing in battle; but in the end, you will be the one who comes out on top. With the rangers' mentor in our deck, we are unstoppable."

A wicked smile found its way to Astronema's lips and she chuckled slowly. "Well, when you put it like that…I guess I do have an advantage over the rangers. Just as long as I keep Zordon in my back pocket, those rangers won't be able to win. Ecliptor, I want you to send a few Quantrons down to Angel Grove to check on Mama-mite's eggs. It won't be much longer until those baby mites are ready for their first feeding."

* * *

Ashley's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the words on the pink heart-shaped cut out in her hands.

"Share this drink with him?" she read the words out loud to Carlos who was sitting across from her with an annoyed look on his face.

"Are you serious?"

Ashley turned the heart around so he could she and he groaned before his eyes traveled to the large milkshake sitting in the center of the table with two straws in it. He and Ashley spared a glance to the side where Liz was watching from the island with Cassie, TJ, and Andros looking on in amusement. The four of them had been following Ashley and Carlos on their planned "First date" all afternoon. First, they had gone to the Angel Grove Aquarium to look at the new clownfish exhibit. Then, they had gone to a small carnival off the town square where they road on the merry-go-round holding hands, per Liz's suggestion. They had also gone on a bike ride, to the movies, and they even had to paddle out onto Angel Grove lake in a rented swan boat, all under the watchful eye of Liz and their three ranger friends with binoculars in hand. The whole situation had been nerve-wrecking, not to mention embarrassing for the yellow and black rangers. They were being tortured under a watchful eye.

Liz motioned towards the two of them before pointing at the milkshake between them. Ashley sighed before turning to Carlos and frowning. The two of them then leaned in and began to chug down the chocolate, whip-cream shake.

"I'm sorry about all this." Ashley whispered as she leaned up from the glass.

Carlos forced a smile. "It's okay. I'd rather be the one glued to your hip for a day then to have you stuck on a date with some guy you barely even know. Still…this is starting to get real awkward."

"Tell me about it." Ashley complained as she tugged on the hideous Hawaiian shirt she was currently wearing.

Just then, the rangers' communicators beeped. Carlos and Ashley sighed in relief before jumping to their feet to join the others.

"What is that strange sound?" Liz said. "I heard it earlier to. What is it, an alarm watch of sorts?"

"Something like that." TJ said as he and the others slowly began to inch away.

Suddenly, the entire restaurant began shaking violently as displays and decorations were knocked over and everyone could barely stand on their feet.

"What's going on?" Cassie shouted over the commotion.

"Let's get outside." Andros said as he ran past the others and through the front doors. Much to his surprise, there was a large crack in the ground and hundreds of tiny pink bugs that looked slightly similar to Mama-mite were starting to crawl out.

"The ground's cracking open." He said to the others once they joined him.

Just then, the bugs formed into a swarm and flew over to a parked car. A strange noise similar to a chainsaw could be heard as the bugs quickly devoured the vehicle, leaving nothing but its four tires behind.

"They're like termites." TJ realized as the bugs moved on to a lamppost and devoured it just as quickly as they had eaten the car. "They're going to eat the whole city!"

"Grandma, you have to go back to the house." Ashley said.

Liz held onto her granddaughter in terror as she stared at the bugs moving towards an abandoned building that was bound to be their next meal.

"I'm not going anywhere without you!" she protested. "It's not safe here honey, you could get hurt."

Ashley took a deep breath to calm herself before grabbing her grandmother's hand. "Come on, I'll go with you. Hurry, we don't have much time."

Ashley spared a glance towards her friends who nodded at her as she and Liz ran through the streets, doing their best to avoid the fleeing pedestrians who were making a huge commotion all around them.

Andros and the others ran around the corner of a nearby building and looked around to ensure they weren't being watched before lifting their sleeves.

"Let's Rock It!" Andros shouted as he and the others through their arms forward and lifted the lids of their morpher. They quickly morphed into the ranger suits and wasted no time pulling out their Astro Blasters and power weapons before running towards the crack in the ground.

"Fire!" Andros commanded as he pulled his blaster's trigger and began to shoot at the mites running all around the ground. The others fired their weapons too, but they were horrified by the sight of more mites crawling out of the crack.

"This isn't good." Carlos said. "It looks like they're still hatching."

"Then we'll keep shooting." Cassie said. "Luckily, these things die easily. We just have to reduce their numbers."

"I say we get them all into a cluster and fire our canons at them. That would take them all out, wouldn't it?"

"We can't form the Quadro Blaster without Ashley's Star Slinger though." Cassie pointed out.

"You guys, we're wasting time talking." Andros said as he reloaded his Astro Blaster. "Let's try and reduce as many numbers as we can. We can think of an alternative later."

"Right." The others agreed before taking off in a sprint to stop the mites.

Before the rangers could start shooting again, the mites leaped up and began swarming around them, their little teeth nicking the rangers' suits. Cassie shrieked as she dropped her Astro Blaster. As soon as the blaster hit the pavement, another batch of mites swarmed upon it, devouring it in seconds. Carlos and TJ's Astro Axe and Lunar Lance were devoured as well as Andros's Spiral Saber.

"Those guys are hungry." TJ said jokingly as he tried to liven up the situation.

"I don't understand. These weapons are made of an indestructible steel." Andros said.

"Time to start thinking of that alternative now Andros." Carlos said as he and the others took off running, swatting at the mites descending upon them.

Suddenly, the mites stopped their attack and moved away from the rangers. The rangers turned around and were shocked as the remaining mites formed a cluster before forming into a combined being, similar to Mama-mite.

"They formed one monster." Cassie said in disbelief. "This keeps getting better and better."

"Without our weapons, we can't blast that thing." Carlos said. "We have to do something before it starts getting hungry again."

The newly formed bug monster's eyes began to glow and the rangers were shocked as it fired two optical beams at them. The rangers dove out of the way as the beams struck the pavement they'd been standing on moments before, causing concrete and debris to spit up into the air.

Carlos and Andros were back on their feet in no time and charged towards the monster, but before they could reach it, the monster swung its stinger arm, clipping both rangers in their chest. Cassie and TJ ran to help, but the monster swat at them with its stinger arm as well, getting a direct hit.

"You guys don't have what it takes to stop Terma-mitis!" the monster shouted before cackling happily to himself.

"We aren't beaten yet." TJ said, ignoring the stinging sensation in his chest. "You're going down!"

* * *

Ashley held onto her grandmother as they maneuvered through an emptied parking garage and tried to make their way out of the downtown area. There were half-eaten buildings, cars, and decorations everywhere around them, and the panicked citizens of Angel Grove were running around trying to escape the bug infestation that had made its way to their beloved city.

Liz held onto her hat with her free hand as Ashley urged for her to keep running. A look of relief washed over Ashley's face when she spied a police officer up ahead. She waved him down and pointed towards her grandmother. The officer was by their side in an instant.

"I need you to get my grandmother to a safe place, please." Ashley begged the officer. "I don't want her to get hurt out here."

"Ashley, where are you going?" Liz asked, worry coating her words.

"I have to go back grandma." Ashley said. "My friends need my help, and I can't leave them."

"Well I'm not leaving you!" Liz protested. "Please honey, I don't want those nasty bugs to get you."

"I'll be fine grandma." Ashley said a little forcefully. "Please go."

"Listen to your granddaughter ma'am." The police officer said as he tried to move her towards his patrol car. "It's not safe here."

"I'm not leaving!" Liz protested.

"Grandma, that's enough." Ashley said sternly. "Listen, you're my grandmother and I love you very much, but you're smothering me to death. I love you more than anything, you know that; and I love it when you come to visit…but showing up and forcing me into a committed relationship that I'm not ready for and watching my every move like a hovering hawk is really starting to bug me. Please grandma, I'm begging you to go with the officer."

"Oh Ashley, I'm sorry." Liz said with a frown. "I was only trying to help."

"I know you were grandma, and I really do appreciate the help; but you have to trust me to make my own decisions in life."

"Ma'am, you have to clear the area and get to a place where the bugs haven't reached." The officer said.

"Please, take care of her." Ashley said as she took off running, leaving her grandmother and the officer behind.

As soon as she rounded the corner, Ashley looked around to ensure she wasn't being watched before pulling out her morpher. "Let's Rock It!"

* * *

Andros and the other rangers' had their hands full with Terma-mitis and things just seemed to be getting worse and worse. Without their power weapons, the rangers had to rely on their strength alone, which didn't seem to be getting them anywhere. They were being tossed around like ragdolls, stung with Terma-mitis's stinger, and blasted by the creature's ocular beams. Just when it seemed like Terma-mitis was preparing for a finishing blow, the creature was struck by five blue blasts from behind it.

"Someone called an exterminator?" Ashley said jokingly as she came into view holding her Astro Blaster. "Sorry I'm late guys."

"It's fine now that you're here." Andros said.

"We'll see about that." Terma-mitis shouted.

"Don't take another step." Ashley warned him. "You should buzz out of Angel Grove while you still can."

Ashley prepared to fire at the monster again, but Terma-mitis had another trick up his sleeve. Throwing his arm forward and activating his ocular beams at the same time, a laser rope wrapped itself around the Yellow Ranger, lifting her up off the ground. Ashley cried out as the laser zapped her. It felt almost like she was being stung repeatedly by the sensation. She thrashed within its grip, desperately trying to free herself, but the laser wouldn't lessen its hold on her. Terma-mitis slammed her down against the ground before lifting her up and tossing her across the lot and into the marble column of a nearby office building while her friends watched helplessly from their place on the ground, having not recovered from the last attack.

"Aw, the poor little bumble bee." Terma-mitis joked. "Are you ready to give up yet?"

"I'll never surrender to you the likes of you." Ashley spat as she struggled to get back on her feet.

"Then you leave me no choice." Terma-mitis said as he prepared to grab her using its laser rope again; but before he could attack, both his and Ashley's attention was drawn to the sound of screeching tires and a car horn blaring in the distance. The two of them turned and were surprised to see a police patrol car speeding towards them.

Ashley raised an eyebrow and gasped when she spied the driver wearing a very familiar pink baseball cap and green overalls.

"Grandma?" she said in disbelief.

Liz floored the gas pedal and ran right into Terma-mitis's side, causing his body to spark from the impact. She then cut the wheel sharply to the right and slammed on the brakes, the tires leaving skid marks on the ground.

"If you mess with the Power Rangers, you're messing with me!" Ashley could hear her grandmother shout through the car window.

"You're biting off more than you can chew old woman." Terma-mitis spat.

"You think so?" Liz said. "Well, we'll see about that!"

Liz floored the gas pedal again and sped towards Terma-mitis, but this time, the monster was ready and waiting for her. Terma-mitis fired its ocular beams at the patrol car, striking its hood. Liz let out an ear-piercing scream as she suddenly lost control of the car. Ashley realized that the woman couldn't stop the speeding vehicle as it began to swerve uncontrollably.

"Oh no, grandma!" she shouted in horror.

"Go after her Ashley!" Andros called out to her as he and the others approached. "We'll take care of Terma-mitis!"

Ashley nodded before running after the out of control patrol car. Once she was close enough to the vehicle, she leaped up into the air and managed to grab onto the car door.

"Hit the brakes!" shouted through the passenger window at the frantic woman who was busy trying to regain control of the steering wheel.

"I'm trying!" she shouted. "I can't reach the pedal!"

"You can do it." Ashley said as she did her best to remain calm. "Come on, you have to hit the brakes or you're going to crash!"

Liz took a deep breath before leaning lower in her seat. Her right foot finally came in contact with the brakes and she slammed her foot down as hard as she could. Ashley let go of the car and looked up, a look of horror on her face as the patrol car neared the wall of a building. Just before the hood could smash into the white stone, the car came to an abrupt stop. Ashley smiled in relief before running towards the car and yanking the driver's side door open and helping Liz out of the car.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" she asked as she looked her over for any sign of injuries.

"I'm quite alright sweetheart, just a little shaken up is all. I don't know what I was thinking going after that monster like that. I must be crazy. I don't know why I always jump into the middle of things. I just want to help, but I always wind up messing things up."

Ashley suddenly felt guilty about her little outburst earlier. Her grandmother had been smothering her and Ashley found it to be quite a nuisance; but her grandmother loved her dearly just as she loved her and all Liz had been wanting to do was help her find someone she could find happiness with.

A smile graced the Yellow Ranger's lips as she rested a hand on Liz's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, all of her anger from earlier melting away.

"You didn't mess things up at all ma'am. If it wasn't for your bravery back there, that bug monster would have eaten me and my friends for lunch."

"You're such a sweet girl." Liz said with a teary-eyed smile. "I wish my granddaughter could see things the way you do."

"You know something? I have a grandma just like you…and if she were to do something incredibly crazy yet heroic like you did today…I would be very proud of her. Something tells me that she would feel the same way."

"Thank you so much honey. Now, go on and help your friends. I'm just fine. They're the ones who need your help now."

"Are you sure?"

Liz nodded. "I'm sure. You tell your grandmother that she's a lucky lady!"

Ashley smiled before taking off in a sprint back towards her friends. "No…I'm the lucky one for having a grandma like you."

* * *

When Ashley arrived back on the scene, the rangers had managed to get a good hold on Terma-mitis and were holding him in place.

"Well, look who's back." Terma-mitis said when he spied the Yellow Ranger running towards him.

"You messed with my grandmother you disgusting parasite. Now it's time I teach you a lesson. Star Slinger!"

Ashley's power weapon appeared in her hands and she immediately drew the bow back and fired upon the restrained monster. Terma-mitis used his ocular beams to blast the other rangers away before running towards Ashley and firing at her; but the Yellow Ranger wasn't going to be taken down by his blasts again and leaped up into the air while holding her right arm out to the side.

"Battle Blade!" she shouted as information regarding her attack scrolled across the visor of her helmet. Terma-mitis was shocked as the Yellow Ranger's hand transformed into a visible blue blade before she swung her arm down in a slicing motion, getting a direct hit. Ashley landed flawlessly and stood to her feet, her right hand at a downward angle as the blade disappeared and formed back into her gloved hand. She smiled as the sound of a large explosion erupted behind her.

"You did it Ash!" Carlos cheered excitedly as he and the others joined her at her side.

"Yeah you did." TJ said. "I don't think I've ever seen you that angry."

"That monster could have killed my grandmother today." Ashley said as she folded her arms across her chest. "He deserved everything he had coming to him."

* * *

Two days after Terma-mitis's attack, Angel Grove was starting to fall back into its usual routine. The damage from the attack had been cleared from the streets and all buildings that had been destroyed during the attack were starting to be reconstructed. Liz had enjoyed spending time with Ashley and her friends getting to know them all a little better and keeping in mind not to butt in to every little aspect of their lives. Before they all knew it, three days had passed and Liz was due at the airport to catch a flight back to Florida. The rangers had all shown up at the Hammond household to help load Liz's luggage into the car and to see the woman off. After all, they owed her a lot after the way she charged into battle.

"I'm so glad that you came to visit grandma." Ashley said as she held the cab door open while her friends watched from nearby. "Sorry that the whole husband thing didn't really work out."

"It's quite alright honey. With friends like yours, you don't really need one…yet that is!"

Ashley giggled as she helped Liz into the cab and closed the door. "Bye grandma."

"Take care honey. Until next time!"

Ashley smiled and stepped away from the curb as the cab pulled away and disappeared down the street. She then turned back to her friends.

"Well, that was an…interesting visit so to speak."

"Yeah, it was." Andros agreed. "But now, it's time to get back to work. The repairs on the Megaship are done. It's time that we head off and continue our search for Zordon."

Ashley's smile quickly faded into a serious look and she nodded once. They had lost nearly two weeks of search time and while she had enjoyed her little vacation back home to earth, she was more than ready to get back on track finding Zordon.

"Where do we begin our search?" she asked.

"First things first, we need to try and get a hold of Zentin to see if he's managed to find a lead on Zordon's location."

Cassie's heart fluttered at the mentioning of the Phantom Ranger. She hadn't spoken to him since he'd contacted her prior to leaving the Megaship. She'd been wondering how he had been doing all this time. Perhaps he'd have a minute of his time to spare to speak with her.

"Then let's get back to the Megaship." TJ said. "There isn't a moment to lose."

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. Don't forget to review. See you guys at the next update!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	15. The Barillian Sting Pt 1

**A/N:** **Two updates within a matter of days? Aren't you guys glad you didn't have to wait an entire month? I am really excited to be sharing this chapter with you guys because you get a full chapter that's a flashback! I am so excited that you guys get to read about Andros's previous teammates in action. So here we go!**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)….Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

 **Cain…..Tyler Blackburn**

 **Damian…...Blair Redford**

 **Kadence…..Alexa Vega**

 **Silas…..Nathan Owens**

 **Harper….Ashley Benson**

 **Anon….Taylor Lautner**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

 **" _The Barillian Sting Pt. 1"_**

Carlos, TJ, and Cassie trekked slowly through the woods of a foreign planet known as Traxten. The planet was within the Karova System and surprisingly, it was very similar to earth in terms of the environment.

TJ held his scanner up towards his face and squinted to try and view the results. "If Zordon is on this planet, we'll find him."

Carlos and TJ continued to walk forward while Cassie surveyed the area a little closer. She looked around and raised an eyebrow when she noticed that a group of bushes had been shoved aside unnaturally. She jogged over to the bushes and pushed her way through, surveying the area carefully for anything amiss. Suddenly, she spotted an enlarged footprint that looked like a webbed foot.

"You guys, footprints!" she shouted as she moved closer to the footprint and crouched down to examine it. She could hear Carlos and TJ push through the bushes behind her. "It looks like it belongs to a Piranhatron."

"Zordon must be here or could have been here recently." Carlos said.

Just then, TJ's scanner began beeping loudly. Carlos and Cassie watched as he scrolled his finger across the screen.

"The distress signal Andros picked up on the Megaship earlier…it's close to us." TJ said. "It's coming from over there."

TJ took the lead as he jogged in the direction from whence the signal was emitting while Carlos and Cassie jogged after him.

Meanwhile, watching from behind a grove of trees up ahead of them, Ecliptor was watching the three earthlings as they made their way through the forest towards the fake signal he was emitting.

"They're getting closer." He said to the twelve Quantrons gathered behind him. "When they get close enough to attack, ambush them and show them no mercy. If we take them out, Astronema will be most pleased."

The Quantrons nodded eagerly to themselves as they thought over the reward they would receive for their good work. Ecliptor nodded; but before he could turn around, an invisi-portal appeared. With a raised eyebrow he raised his sword towards the portal as someone stepped out. The sight of the bony creature caused Ecliptor's blood to boil.

"Darkonda…" he growled as anger began to seethe off of him. "I thought I told you to never darken my corner of the galaxy again!"

Darkonda was a very ugly creature who presented himself as someone of high status. He had a very pointy and sharp figure that resembled an insect shell of sorts, a blend of black, brown, red, and orange colors. His head was very pointy and he had two yellow eyes and razor sharp teeth.

"Calm yourself Ecliptor. I was just passing through the neighborhood and thought I should drop off my latest gift."

"You're always plotting something, aren't you…" Ecliptor growled.

"Heavens, no. I just wanted to stop by and check out Astronema's latest lackey."

Something about the comment riled Ecliptor up. He swung his sword, but it was easily blocked by a sword that quickly materialized in Darkonda's hand.

"Don't start what you can't finish."

"You stay away from Astronema, or I will mince you." Ecliptor warned him.

The two of them stopped their arguing as the sound of TJ's voice reached their ears. The three rangers were getting closer and it was almost time for the Quantrons to leap into action.

"Here they come." Ecliptor said.

"Oh, let me guess." Darkonda said with a roll of his eyes." You've lured the rangers here using a fake energy signal then you and your band of robot freaks are going to leap out and sneak attack them. Am I right?"

"Leave. Now." Ecliptor warned him.

"You were always such an amateur." Darkonda said with a laugh "You never cease to amuse me. Come on Ecliptor. It's been nearly eleven years since we last crossed paths and you're still using the same old tactics. Come on, loosen up a bit once and a while. There are other ways to deal with these matters."

Ecliptor's eyes suddenly traveled to a brown cloth sack that was slung over Darkonda's shoulder where a distinct buzzing noise could be heard. He raised an eyebrow and moved his eyes to meet Darkonda's. He knew that whatever was inside that bag was going to be trouble for the rangers. Ignoring his gut, Ecliptor turned towards the approaching rangers.

"Now." He commanded the Quantrons. The foot soldiers leapt out of the bushes and charged towards the three un-expecting rangers, their weapons out, as they began to attack.

"It's a trap!" Cassie shouted as she ducked underneath the blade of her first attacker.

Carlos ran towards one of the Quantrons and swung his leg down in an axe kick, knocking the blade from its hand before he turned around and kicked the Quantron hard, square in the chest. The soldier stumbled backwards as another Quantron ran towards him and swung its weapon. Cassie and TJ were dodging the soldier's weapons too, doing their best to stay on top of things without relying on their morphing powers for as long as they could.

"I know a much faster way to finish of a ranger." Darkonda said in amusement as he watched Ecliptor and the Quantrons fighting against the rangers. Reaching inside of his brown sack, Darkonda pulled out a giant, spiraled cocoon that was silver with red dots covering it. He tossed the cocoon up into the air and sliced it in half with his sword, both pieces falling at his feet as a yellow, and putrid smelling liquid oozed out of the now opened cocoon. Slowly, a large insect crawled its way out of the cocoon before taking flight and zooming towards the rangers.

Ecliptor could hear the buzzing of the insect approaching from behind. He turned around and gasped before ducking. He then turned and watched the bug as it sped towards Carlos who was busy fighting against the Quantrons. The insect landed on his wrist and Carlos screamed as the bug sunk its stinger into his flesh.

Cassie and TJ stopped what they were doing and turned to their comrade who was lying on the ground clutching his wrist as he groaned in pain. Their battle long forgotten, the two of them rushed to their friend and crouched down beside him.

"Carlos, are you okay?" Cassie asked worriedly as she tried to locate the source of his pain.

"Something stung me." He said through gritted teeth as he lifted his hand to show the enlarged sting on his wrist. TJ and Cassie stared at the sting in concern. It was unlike any sting they had ever seen before. The bump was enlarged and it was purple at the base with blue lines running outward from the puncture point.

"We need to get you back to the ship." TJ said as he and Cassie slung Carlos's arms over their shoulder.

"After them!" Ecliptor commanded; but before the Quantrons could attack again, the three rangers had teleported off the planet and back to the Megaship.

"Damn it…Darkonda, this is all your fault you meddling parasite!" Ecliptor roared as he turned around. Much to his surprise, Darkonda was nowhere to be seen. Ecliptor's eyes traveled to the abandoned cocoon lying on the ground beside the emptied satchel. He growled angrily before turning to the Quantrons.

"Back to the Dark Fortress."

* * *

Carlos's breathing was labored and he was sweating heavily as he lay on the examination table in the Megaship's infirmary. Since he'd arrived on the ship ten minutes ago, his entire arm had begun to change color. It was mostly purple and Carlos's veins had swollen up to the point that you could see the blue hue peeking through his skin. He had the shakes and kept complaining that he was freezing while Cassie and TJ watched helplessly from beside him.

Ashley held a scanner in her hand as she ran it up the length of his body while Andros scrolled through the infirmary computer for information on Traxten's native insects.

"These readings don't make any sense." Ashley said as she scrunched her face up and tried to comprehend what she was reading.

"Carlos, what did you say stung you again?" Andros asked as he stopped his research and moved to get a good look at his friend for the first time since he'd arrived on the ship.

"I didn't get a good look at it." Carlos said as he squeezed his eyes shut. "I just know that it was some kind of bug. A very huge bug. It hurt like hell when it stung me."

Andros's eyes widened as he took in Carlos's disheveled appearance and noticed the distinct coloring emitting from the sting in his arm. He thought over his next words carefully before taking a deep breath.

"The bite…no, your whole arm. Does it feel cold?"

"Yeah, it does." Carlos said, suddenly getting worried. "But, how do you know? I thought you'd never been to Traxten before?"

"You recognize the bite?" Cassie asked hopefully.

Andros nodded. "Maybe."

TJ and Andros exchanged a glance before Andros motioned for the Blue Ranger to follow him. Carlos suddenly felt fear in the pit of his stomach as he watched the two of them walk down the hall and out of earshot.

"I didn't like the look on his face." He said as he and Ashley shared a worried look. "Whatever bit me…it was probably a life-threatening bite. That's why Andros couldn't say anything…what's gonna happen to me? Am I gonna die?"

"Ssh, Carlos…don't talk like that." Ashley said as she grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't go and get yourself all worked up. Maybe Andros is just concerned because we don't have the antidote to treat the bite on the ship. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see. Would you like me to get you some water or something?"

"A blanket would be nice." He said with a grateful smile.

"Okay. I'll be right back. Cassie, do you mind staying with him till I get back?"

"Not at all." Cassie said with a smile as she grabbed a stool and pulled it up to sit beside him. Ashley disappeared out into the hall and Cassie took hold of Carlos's hand.

"You're going to be fine you big lug. Don't worry."

* * *

Ecliptor stormed into Astronema's throne room, shoving aside anyone who dared stand in his way. Astronema raised an eyebrow, turning her attention away from the galactic map that she and Elgar had been viewing before Ecliptor made his rude entrance.

"Well, what happened?" she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Something went wrong." He grumbled.

"Something drastic I presume to have rattled your nerves."

"Do not worry my princess. I will have everything under control in due time. I will not fail you."

"You have already failed her you miserable excuse of a henchman." Darkonda said in amusement as he strode into the room through the adjacent door.

Two Quantrons on guard duty quickly moved to stand beside Astronema and protect her from the unknown intruder.

"Who the hell are you, and how did you get onboard my ship?" Astronema demanded to know as she summoned an energy blast in her right hand just in case she had to subdue the trespasser.

"I am Darkonda, bounty hunger. Evil is my business. We met once long ago Astronema."

A puzzled look crossed the young princess's face at this revelation. "Darkonda…I don't remember meeting anyone by that name."

"He's a traitor Astronema." Ecliptor spoke up suddenly. "A double-crossing cheat."

Astronema glanced at Ecliptor out the corner of her eye. His whole demeanor had changed from pissed off to panicked when Darkonda mentioned having met her long ago. Just what kind of relationship did these two seem to have?

"You seem to know an awful lot about him Ecliptor." She said before turning her attention back to the shelled creature standing before her.

"I know that you distrust strangers Astronema. I can't blame you for being wary of me; but you will surely change your mind once you've heard all that I have accomplished. Thanks to me, one Power Ranger is already down for the count."

Astronema's eyes widened at this news. It was certainly the last thing she was expecting to hear.

"I will prove to you that I am a worthy adversary to have within your pocket my dearest Astronema. One ranger is down and soon, I will have the rest of them delivered to you personally."

With that being said, Darkonda quickly disappeared through an invisi-portal. Astronema's brow creased into confusion as she turned to Ecliptor.

"What does he mean one ranger is already down?"

Ecliptor sighed. "Darkonda showed up during my ambush against three of the Power Rangers. The Black Ranger was stung by a mysterious insect during battle. When I turned around to berate Darkonda for interfering I spotted the insect's cocoon on the ground. It was a Barillian Bug."

Astronema's face lit up at this news. "A Barillian Bug…? That's absolutely brilliant!"

* * *

TJ and Andros jogged through the woods of Traxten towards the area where Cassie, TJ, and Carlos had been ambushed nearly thirty minutes earlier. There was no sign of Ecliptor or any of the Quantrons, which meant the two of them had plenty of time to complete their current mission.

"I think the bug fell somewhere around here." TJ said as he slowed his pace and began to look closely at the ground for any signs of the fallen insect.

"You have to be absolutely sure." Andros said. "There isn't a lot of time. I need to find this bug to rule out all possibilities.

"Perhaps I have what you seek." A voice came from up ahead. TJ and Andros raised their hands in defense as Darkonda stepped out into the open holding an enormous winged bug in his hand.

"Who are you?" TJ questioned him.

"Darkonda is my name, evil is my game." He said quickly before turning around and speeding off on foot.

TJ and Andros quickly morphed before summoning their Galaxy Gliders and speeding after Darkonda. They were amazed by the creature's speed and his ability to use invisi-portals to teleport from place to place. The two of them leaned forward on their gliders to accelerate faster. When they spied Darkonda up ahead of them waiting in a tree, they slowed down slightly, unsure as to why he'd stop leading them on their chase.

Andros's eyes widened when Darkonda revealed another cocoon and sliced it open, releasing a new bug that immediately had its eyes set on TJ. Darkonda laughed maniacally as TJ pulled out his Astro Blaster and began firing at the bug, missing each shot. The bug then began to buzz around him violently as it tried to stick its stinger into his arm, but TJ continued to swat at it, doing his best to avoid suffering the same fate as Carlos.

"Andros, I can't shake this thing. Get it away from me!"

Andros summoned his Astro Blaster and managed to nick the wing of the bug, causing it to stumble slightly. Andros then leaped off his glider and aimed closely at TJ and the bug chasing after him.

"Circle around!" he commanded the Blue Ranger. TJ nodded before doing as he was told and doing a complete U-turn before zooming back towards Andros. The Red Ranger narrowed his eyes and fired right on target, zapping the bug.

TJ leaped off his Galaxy Glider and took a shaky breath. "Thanks man, I thought I was done for."

Andros gave him a thumbs up before jogging over to him to observe the bug. He picked it up and frowned as a feeling of dread overcame him.

"It's just as I thought." He said." This thing is definitely a Barillian Bug."

"So you have dealt with them before?" TJ asked.

"Unfortunately yes. It was about a year after I became the Red Ranger…one of these bugs attacked without warning and within hours, those who had been stung by the bugs became Barillian Bugs themselves."

* * *

 **FLASHBACK (Until Further Notice):**

The sun sat high in the sky, its rays beaming down onto the fields of KO-35. Hundreds of men and women worked diligently as they carefully pulled vegetables from their stems and dropped them into large metal bins at their feet.

An older woman wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed as she looked up at the beaming sun overhead, shielding her eyes from its rays before looking around at her fellow coworkers working hard to make a living before resuming her task of picking the purple vegetables and dropping them in her bin. She had only been working for a short time when the sound of distant buzzing reached her ears. She raised an eyebrow and looked around the field, but couldn't see any insects. She shrugged before resuming her work, only to be interrupted seconds later by the same sound.

The woman set another harvestable in her bin before slowly walking through her row, her shoes squishing in the fertilized mud beneath her feet. She looked around through the rows of crops, eager to find the source of the consistent buzzing when suddenly, a large bug shot out of the crops. She shrieked in surprise and tried to swat the creature away, but it was eager to attack her and wouldn't relent. She turned and ran as she swatted her arms above her head to try and deter the insect, but she failed and released an ear-piercing scream as the insect's stinger sunk into the back of her neck. She clasped a hand over the wound and fell to her knees, her eyes stinging with tears as she tried to bite back the pain.

A coworker in the next row heard the commotion and pushed their way through the crops, emerging on the other side to find the woman lying face down in the mud. He approached her cautiously before crouching down to help the woman.

"Are you alright Mira?" he asked her, concern in his voice.

Mira shook her head and gasped as the motion put a strain on her wound. "Something stung me- it was a huge insect. Please Cale, you have to do something, it hurts so bad."

Cale nodded before scooping the woman up into his arms and heading for the infirmary. At a first glance, he wasn't too sure what kind of insect had attacked Mira. He had never seen anything like it in all his years of life. The puncture wound appeared to be an enlarged, red bubble and Mira's veins could clearly be seen through her pale skin, a darkened purple.

"Don't worry Mira. We're going to get you some help."

* * *

Andros and the other Astro Rangers stood in a curved line as Harper wheeled her latest project into the room. It was covered in a large white tarp as she rolled it to the center of the room.

"You guys, I have finally developed a solution to your transportation problem." She declared proudly. "For years, we have relied on the Megaship's teleportation to send us to various destinations no matter how long or short of a distance- well not anymore. I present to you, the Galaxy Glider!"

The rangers were amazed at the new piece of machinery lying on top of the cart. It was a long object with thrusters on the back made of solid red metal. It appeared to have break lights on the back and there were foot spaces on its surface that displayed pressure points that undoubtedly controlled the speed of the device.

"The Galaxy Gliders will allow you all to cover a great amount of distance in very little time. They can be used for planetary transportation or galactic. They aren't as fast as the megaship. The fastest they can travel is hyper rush one- but they will prove to be of good use to you all."

"It looks amazing Harper." Andros complimented the device as he walked over to them and ran his hand across its smooth surface. The metal was strong and after scraping a fingernail across the top, he was sure that it could withstand a lot of damage.

"The Galaxy Gliders are indestructible, so no need to worry about them being destroyed. They'll be kept in the cargo room of the Megaship- so when you need to use them, simply command your glider to 'hang ten' and it will be summoned to you no matter where you happen to be."

"So cool! Are there more than one?" Malina asked hopefully. "Red's a nice color and all, but I was hoping you'd have something that suits my style a little better."

Harper laughed as she threw the tarp back over the glider. "Of course there are more. I am having my technicians put the finishing touches on them. They should be up and moving within the hour."

"That's great. Then, we can all take them on a test run." Zhane exclaimed as he pumped a fist in the air. "We need a little entertainment around here."

The conversation came to a halt as Cain walked into the room, the doors sliding shut behind him. The rangers turned to him and noticed the disturbed look on his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"There's trouble in the fields." He explained, his voice very commanding. "I received a distress signal a little over an hour ago requesting assistance, but when I tried to contact the supervisor again, there was no answer."

"Did he say what kind of trouble?" Andante asked as he checked his morpher and re-strapped it to his wrist.

Cain shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I'm afraid you guys are going into this battle blindsided for a change."

Andros nodded his head before turning to his teammates. "Let's go."

"Hold on a second Andros." Zhane said, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. "What do you say we take Harper's new vehicles for a test run? This would be the perfect chance to see what they can do."

Andros turned towards Harper who smiled before nodding in agreement. "Well, they haven't been tested yet, but I'm sure they'll do fine. I'll have them loaded up and ready to go in ten minutes."

Harper wheeled her cart out of the room as Andros turned to his teammates.

"Let's rock it!"

* * *

The Galaxy Gliders seemed to be working fine as the rangers made their way to the fields and they couldn't help but to test out their new equipment. Zhane tried a barrel roll to show off to his friends, but was up showed by Malina as she used her glider to execute a summersault before she jumped off into a back flip and landed perfectly back on its flat surface. As they neared the fields, they put their game faces on and lowered their gliders to the ground.

The rangers looked around and were worried at the sight of the fields completely abandoned of any signs of life. It gave Andros an eerie feeling in the pit of his stomach as he noticed the abandoned work bins sitting on the ground.

"Something definitely isn't right." He said as his eyes took another sweep over the area. "These bins shouldn't be here."

"Where are all the workers?" Adia wondered as she took a step closer to him, suddenly feeling scared.

"I don't know, but if there really was trouble, we need to find them. Everybody split up. Malina and Andante, you guys take your Galaxy Gliders and scan the fields for any signs of survivors. Zhane, Koyu, you guys can check the lower levels of the warehouse. Adia and I will try and find the main office to see if we can find out where that distress signal came from."

* * *

Adia and Andros walked through the halls of the upper level, both of them with their hands raised in defense as they made their way through the emptied building.

"I just don't understand- none of this makes any sense." Adia said as she looked around for any signs of life. "Where is everyone?"

"There was obviously someone here at one point in time, because we wouldn't have received that distress signal."

"Maybe Cain was wrong about the source of the signal? It would be a first for our commander in chief, but it's possible."

"That still wouldn't make sense Adia. The fields are under twenty-four-hour maintenance, yet there doesn't appear to be any workers around. Something definitely happened here, but what?"

"Andros, look!" Adia placed a hand on the Red Ranger's shoulder and pointed straight ahead of them. A door was propped open and light was pouring out into the hallway. The two rangers ran down the hall and into the room, but just like every other place they had checked, it was void of any signs of life. Andros realized the room was the main office of the compound and he quickly moved to investigate the mainframe computer.

Adia suddenly got an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and placed both hands on top of her Astro Blaster being held securely by her holster. She began to slowly pace the room, her eyes darting all over the place while Andros typed away at the mainframe. When he growled angrily, she turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This is definitely where the distress signal was sent from." He said as his eyes scanned over the data being displayed on the mainframe. "It was sent hours ago."

"So, what happened to the sender?" Adia asked as she approached the desk. She stopped as she stepped into something slimy and wet on the floor. Andros stood from the desk as they both looked down at the tiled floor to see a pile of yellow slime at Adia's feet.

"Ew, oh my God, what is this?" Adia yelled in disgust as she lifted her foot to try and shake the ooze from her boot. Andros leaped over the top of the desk and crouched down as he scooped some of the material up with his gloved hands and moved it around between his fingers. Adia shuddered with disgust, doing her best to maintain her cool as he examined it carefully.

"I'm not entirely sure what this is. I've never seen anything like it."

"Well it's gross and unsanitary- put it down!"

Andros shook his head before reaching into his utility belt to pull out a test tube. He scooped up more of the slime and dropped it inside before carefully putting a cork in the tube and sliding it back into this belt.

"We'd better get this sample back to Harper. Maybe she can help figure out what it is."

Suddenly the sounds of Zhane and Koyu screaming began to echo throughout the halls. Adia and Andros were quick to move as they ran out the office towards the sounds of a struggle. As they passed a long hallway and headed for the stairs, Adia spied what looked to be like a chair flying out of a room, crashing against the wall opposite the door.

"Andros, this way!" she shouted as she turned and ran towards the room. She pulled out her Star Slinger but before she could enter the room, Zhane flew out of the room and hit the wall.

"Zhane, are you okay?" she asked as she stopped to help him up.

Zhane shook his head as he stood to his feet. "Koyu and I were attacked by some…creature. It almost looked like an insect."

Andros appeared a few seconds later and followed Adia into the room. There was no sign of whatever had attacked the Silver and Blue Rangers but the large window in the room was broken as though something had escaped through it and lying un-morphed in the middle of the floor was Koyu.

"Oh my God, Koyu!" Adia cried out as she ran to assist the Blue Ranger. Koyu's face was twisted in pain as he clutched his arm.

"It hurts." He said through gritted teeth as Adia tried to examine the wound. She was puzzled as she observed an enlarged blister on his arm, his veins visible and a darkened purple color.

"Did that creature do this to you?" she questioned him as she stroked his hair gently to try and calm him down.

"It was some kind of overgrown bug." He said in-between breaths. "It had stingers for arms and it stung me. My arm feels like it's freezing from the inside out."

Adia turned to Andros, unsure of what they should do. Just then, his communicator went off.

"This is Andros, go ahead."

" _Andros, it's Malina. Andante and I couldn't find anything in the fields, but we did come across a small hut where the surveillance equipment is set up. We were able to play back today's footage and you aren't going to believe what we found out."_

"Let me guess, a giant insect is responsible for everyone's disappearance?"

" _Well, kind of. Someone was stung in the fields earlier this evening and was taken to the medical bay. About ten minutes later, they transformed into a mutated insect before attacking and stinging everyone in the wing. Soon after, they all transformed into bug creatures too."_

"Are you saying that anyone who is stung by one of these creatures becomes one themselves?" Andros asked as he looked at Koyu who had stopped moving."

" _That's exactly what I'm saying. So if the entire crew was exposed to these stings, where are they now?"_

Koyu suddenly began to twitch as a gurgling noise escaped his throat. Frightened, Adia released her friend and stood to her feet, backing away from him slowly as Andros and Zhane followed her actions. His body began to change in color- his skin a darkened orange as all of his veins became visible beneath his skin bearing the same resemblance to the purple ones that were in his arm.

"He's changing." Andros realized.

" _Who's changing Andros?"_ Malina asked on the other line. _"What's going on?"_

"Koyu was attacked and stung by one of the mutated workers. He's starting the transformation now."

" _Get away from him Andros!"_ Malina cried. _"Once he changes, there will be no getting through to him. We have to retreat!"_

Andros looked at Zhane and Adia before nodding his head quickly. "Let's get out of here."

The three rangers fled from the room and quickly made their way out into the fields. Malina and Andante could be seen waving their arms up ahead to flag them down. When they met up, a disturbing sound could be heard off in the distance. Adia screamed as she spotted three of the mutated creatures flying through the air towards them.

Andros commanded everyone to duck as the three creatures flew overhead. They dove down to the ground, just barely missing their extended stingers.

"If we don't get out of here, we'll all turn into mutated insects." Andante said. "We have to get back to HQ now."

"Agreed." Andros said. He and the others covered their head another time as the bugs did one more sweep above them.

"Galaxy Gliders, Hang Ten!" he shouted. All six gliders appeared before the rangers and they did their best to hop onboard while avoiding the swarming bugs. Andante whipped his Astro Blaster out and open fired on the insects to try and divert them away from the gliders. Not wanting to be destroyed by the blasts, the insects moved out of the way quickly while the Astro Rangers took off.

As they departed from the fields, Andros looked over his shoulder towards the Blue Galaxy Gilder they were forced to leave behind. He growled angrily to himself before taking off at full speed towards the base.

* * *

As the Astro Rangers walked into HQ and pulled off their helmets, Andros growled angrily and slammed his fist against the wall. The others hung back heavy-hearted as they watched their friend and leader trying his best to deal with what had happened back in the fields.

"Andros…" Adia said quietly as she walked up behind her boyfriend and placed a hand on his shoulders. "What happened back there wasn't your fault."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine." Zhane sighed as he ran his right hand through his hair. "I should have been more alert while we were searching through those halls and maybe I would have seen that creature sneaking up on Koyu. Don't blame yourself Andros, blame me."

"We have to do something to save him and all those people." Andros said as he turned around to see the worried faces of his teammates.

"Yeah, but how?" Malina said as Andante wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "I have never even seen the bug that was on those tapes. I mean, we've come across plenty of dangerous and foreign insects on KO-35 before, but none of them had the ability to transform their victims after stinging them."

"Maybe the bug isn't from KO-35." Andros suddenly realized. "What if it came back with us during one of our trips?"

As the rangers thought this development over, the sliding doors down the hall opened as Harper and Cain stepped into the room. They spied the five teens up ahead of them and headed over.

"What are you guys doing back here?" Cain asked. "Did you find out what happened in the fields?"

Andros shook his head. "By the time we got there, the fields were deserted. Malina managed to find surveillance footage of a foreign insect attacking one of the workers, who was then mutated into an even larger version of the insect. The infected host then proceeded to attack and sting all of the other workers, transforming them into insects too. Koyu managed to get stung while we were investigating the area."

Cain sighed as he ran a hand over his face to try and calm himself. "You said it was a foreign insect?"

Malina nodded her head as Cain and Harper turned to look at her. "I have extensive knowledge about a lot of things and I have never come across that bug before. We were just thinking that it could have been brought here by the Megaship. Maybe it attached itself to our ship during one of our ventures off KO-35."

"You could be onto something." Harper said as she placed her hand to her chin in thought. "If that's the case, we don't have any information on how to immobilize those bugs and return them back into Karovian citizens. I'll have to begin researching the insect as soon as possible. Malina, are you willing to lend me a hand?"

"Of course." Malina said as she gave Andante a quick kiss on his cheek before moving to join the former Yellow Ranger.

Andros suddenly remembered the test tube in his utility belt and removed the tube of slime before passing it to Harper.

"Adia and I found this stuff all over the floor in the main office where the distress signal came from. I think it could have come from one of the insects."

"Thanks Andros, this should help speed up my research process. In the meantime, I need you guys to go back to the fields and find the bug that originally stung the workers. It's the cause of this whole mess and it could be the solution."

"Wait a minute, you want us to go back there?" Andante asked, his eyes wide. "What if we get stung?"

"That's a chance you'll have to take." Cain said. "What if some of those bugs escaped the fields? They could begin attacking the other colonies and the last thing we need is for the entire populous to wind up becoming mutated insects. Now go back to that field and find the bug. Do I make myself clear?"

Andante hung his head. "Yes."

"Actually, I have a different job for you Andante." Harper said, earning a raised eyebrow from her husband. "Andros and Zhane can go and search for the bug since they're first and second-in-command of your team. I'm sure they can handle the search. In the meantime, you and Adia can head to the science and medical facility in the eastern colony and take part of Andros's sample with you so they can begin research as well. They will be able to gather data on the insects faster than I can. Malina and I will join you at the facility as soon as we can."

Andante turned back to Cain to ensure his commander was okay with this. Cain sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine. Zhane and Andros, head out immediately."

* * *

Andros and Zhane moved quickly above the colony on their gliders, neither of them saying a word as they flew back to the fields. Zhane spared a glance at Andros out the corner of his eye, observing the Red Ranger's serious demeanor as they flew towards their destination.

"Andros, you can't keep beating yourself up over this." Zhane said suddenly, causing the Red Ranger to look towards him. "Sure, Koyu may be unreachable right now, but Malina and Harper are going to do everything they can to bring him back to our side. You weren't there when it happened, there is nothing you could have done. Hell, I was there and I don't think I could have done anything to save him. That sting…was too powerful for us to even try and get him back. Trust me, it will all work out in the end."

"I'm the leader of this team and I wasn't there when Koyu needed me." Andros said with sigh. "Sure, Koyu and I aren't the closest of friends, but I really feel like I let him down today. This isn't the first time that someone else has suffered because I wasn't around to save them."

Zhane's lips pressed into a thin line at Andros's words. Neither of them ever discussed the events behind his words out of fear of Andros's reaction, so Zhane remained silent, but Andros continued to speak, shocking the Silver Ranger.

"The ball fell out of my telekinetic path and I ran to get it. I had no idea that someone was lurking in the shadows waiting for me to leave my sister unprotected. Now here we are eleven years later…and I am ridden with guilt over not being able to save her."

"You were just a kid Andros." Zhane said, trying his best to comfort his friend. "You had no idea that someone had their eyes set on your sister. There was nothing you could have done then, just like there is nothing you could have done for Koyu. We are all faced with surprises and challenges in our lives. We don't always know what the future holds for us and what to expect when it finally gets to us. You can't allow yourself to be deterred because of those surprises. Yes, your sister was taken, but you have the ability to try to find and save her just like we have the chance to save Koyu and so many other innocent people now."

Zhane gave his friend a thumbs up, knowing that Andros wouldn't be able to see the smile he was wearing behind his helmet. Andros sighed and nodded. Zhane wasn't too sure if his words had any effect on his friend, but Andros had heard them and that was all that mattered to him.

"Zhane, look over there!" Andros shouted as he pointed off in the distance. The southern colony was in flames as screams rang up into the air. The rangers exchanged a glance before lowering themselves to investigate what was going on. They hopped off their vehicles and looked around as people ran past them, running from an unknown source.

Zhane grabbed a woman's arm as he tried to get her attention, but she pushed him away and continued running.

"What the hell is going on?" Zhane asked as he looked around at the people running through the streets.

Just then, a huge blast erupted up ahead of them. Andros motioned for Zhane to follow him and the two ran towards the large blast. When they reached the site of the blast, they were horrified to see a large group of the mutated insects everywhere attacking anyone in sight.

"They must be the fieldworkers." Andros realized as he looked around at the Karovians who were desperately trying to escape their attackers.

"Then who are they?" Zhane asked as he pointed off to their right where an even larger group of the insects could be seen mercilessly attacking more citizens with their stingers.

"The insects have begun to invade the colonies." Andros said as he backed away.

"Then let's blast 'em before they change any more people." Zhane suggested as he summoned his Super Silverizer.

"Zhane, no!" Andros shouted as he placed his hand on top of the bladed weapon and shook his head. "You can't attack them. Remember they're not insects, they are mutated Karovians. If you destroy them, you'll be destroying an innocent life."

"But if we don't destroy them, they'll continue to infect the colonies until there's no one left to infect!"

Andros's eyes widened with horror as the group of bugs began to charge towards them. "Then we'd better get out of here and find the first insect and fast. The sooner we get the bug to Harper, the sooner we can find a cure."

Zhane nodded as he and Andros turned around and began to flee from the insects. Just as they neared where they left their Galaxy Gliders, another group of insects appeared in front of them, tackling them to the ground. Zhane set his Super Silverizer to a low setting as he began to swipe at the bugs to keep their stingers away while Andros did the same using his Spiral Saber. Zhane jumped to his feet and swung, knocking a group of bugs off their feet and onto the ground. He jumped over them and began attacking another group of bugs behind them swinging his weapon mercilessly as he tried to keep their stingers away from his arms and legs. Andros was repeating the same motions, using his Spiral Saber to slash at the bugs and stunning them to avoid killing any of the mutated Karovians.

Suddenly, Zhane called out to him to watch out. Andros turned around and dove out of the way as one of the bugs tried to sting him in his back. Andros rolled across the ground and into a crouching position, his Spiral Saber above his head ready to strike. He gasped and slowly lowered his weapon as he recognized an Astro Morpher wrapped around his attacker's wrist.

"Koyu?" he said in disbelief as he slowly stood to his feet.

"Andros, we have to retreat!" Zhane shouted from across the area, but Andros couldn't hear his friend. All he could focus on was the fact that his Blue Ranger was standing before him with eight feelers on his head, giant blue eyes, with blue and red skin that appeared very tough and bony to the human eye. Andros shook his head in disbelief, not being able to handle what he was seeing.

"I am so sorry Koyu." He said as he began to back away from him, not wanting to fight his friend; but Koyu had other things and mind and ran towards Andros, tackling him to the ground. The insect's hands wrapped securely around Andros throat and he began gasping for breath as he struggled to pry the bony fingers from around his neck while avoiding the stinger closing in on his face.

Just before Koyu could sink his stinger into Andros's skull, he let out a cry of pain as Zhane slashed him across the back using his weapon. Andros appeared to be in shock when Zhane turned back to him.

"Andros, what are you doing? We have to get out of here now- the colony has fallen! Andros, come on man!"

Andros suddenly shook off his shock and stood to his feet slowly. Zhane realized that his leader and friend was completely out of it and grabbed his arm before yanking him into a run. The two of them ran past the creatures, their Galaxy Gliders in sight. Zhane jumped into a front-flip and landed successfully on his board.

"Andros, hurry!" he called out to his friend. Andros jumped, but before he could land on his board, he let out a cry of pain. Zhane's eyes widened in horror as he spied the bug he had just knocked off of Andros, his stinger stuck in his leader's leg. Andros held onto the board as he screamed in pain, his morphing powers fading away revealing a pale-faced Red Ranger.

"Zhane, you have to get out of here." Andros said through gritted teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"I can't just leave you here!" Zhane protested, but Andros shook his head, not wanting to hear any excuses.

"I can already feel myself changing Zhane, it's hard to focus right now. Look, you have to go to the fields and find that bug. You're our only hope."

Zhane watched as Andros began shaking violently, his skin darkening into a mess of orange and purple. Not wanting to watch his best friend suffer, Zhane quickly took flight into the sky leaving the colony behind.

* * *

The Silver Galaxy Glider touched down just outside of the fields and Zhane quickly jumped off, landing on his knees as he struggled to fight back the tears in his eyes. That was twice in one day that he had watched one of his friends become a victim to this new mutating disease. Zhane growled angrily and slammed his fists down on the ground as images of Andros and Koyu getting stung filled his head. He grabbed a fistful of dirt and watched as it slowly fell through his fingers before standing to his feet.

"I am not going to let those insects destroy the rest of my people." He said. "I'm not giving up. There has to be a cure."

Zhane pulled out his scanner and began to slowly walk through the fields as he scanned every inch of the area. If there were any insect mutants left in the fields, he was going to be the first one to know about it. After searching for twenty minutes, his communicator went off. Setting his scanner back in his utility belt, he answered.

"This is Zhane."

" _Zhane, it's Malina. What's going on? No one has heard from you or Andros in over an hour and we're all starting to get worried. Did you find the bug?"_

Zhane closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No, I haven't managed to find it yet."

" _Well what about Andros? You two should split up. You'll be able to cover more ground."_

"Malina, I need you to listen to me okay?"

Malina was silent and Zhane sighed. "The insects that left the fields...Andros and I saw them attacking innocent people in the southern colony. We went to help them out, but Andros got stung in the process."

" _Oh my God…"_ Malina said, her voice heavy as she tried her best not to cry. _"How are we going to tell Adia?"_

"Just tell her." Zhane said. "She's going to find out sooner or later and I would rather her know now than be mad at us for not saying anything at all. Andros changed rather quickly so now he and Koyu are both under the control of that sting. I'm trying my best to find this insect, but I think I'm looking in all the wrong places."

There was silence on the other line and Zhane could hear Malina mumbling to someone, Harper he assumed.

" _Okay Zhane. I'm going to alert the others and let them know that we're down to four rangers. In the meantime, I'm going to give you the coordinates to the surveillance shed. You should be able to locate where that worker was stung by the original bug using the surveillance footage."_

"Okay, thanks."

" _Zhane please, be careful."_

"I will Malina."

Zhane ended the communication link and a few seconds later, the coordinates to the shed were sent to the database in his helmet. He began to scan the area, doing his best to find out which direction to head in when suddenly, his visionary sensors locked onto something in the distance. Zhane broke out in a sprint, using his Super Silverizer to slash down the stalks in his path when suddenly, he stepped on something. He stopped running and looked towards the ground to see what had come across his path. He bent down, expecting to find one of the vegetables- but instead, he got the shock of his life when he found the bug that had originally attacked the workers. He smiled and pumped his fist into the air before summoning his Galaxy Glider.

After taking flight, he contacted HQ. "This is Zhane. I have the insect and am heading back to HQ as we speak. Over and out."

* * *

After Zhane had brought the bug back to HQ, Adia and Andante returned to the base from the eastern colony, both of them devastated of learning what had happened to Andros. To make matters worse, the insects who had attacked Andros and Zhane at the colony near the fields had managed to affect most of the people and in turn, the insects had spread out to begin infecting the remaining three colonies.

By sunrise, seventy-five percent of the colonies had fallen victim to the mutated bugs.

Adia stifled a yawn as she stepped into the Command Center, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and her eyes heavy from a lack of sleep. She spied Zhane with his head down on the conference table, a stream of drool leaking out of his mouth. Malina was positioned at the interface reviewing all the data that had been collected on the bug while she sat in Andante's lap.

Adia smiled tiredly before walking over to Zhane and resting a hand on his back. He was awake instantly, looking around as though he were in a panic, and Adia couldn't help but to laugh at him.

"Don't worry Zhane, it's just me. I take it you haven't gotten much sleep either?"

Zhane shook his head as he rubbed his dropping eyes. "I couldn't sleep a wink. Before I dozed off an hour ago, Cain said the insects were headed this way. It's only a matter of time before they attack the capitol."

"We can't let that happen." Adia groaned as she collapsed in the chair beside him. "The capitol is the stronghold of KO-35 and if the Grand Elder is attacked, we're doomed."

"I guess it's up to us to keep him safe then." Zhane said as he rested his hand on top of hers. Adia nodded before staring down at the shiny, marble surface of the table top.

"You're worried about Andros, aren't you?" Zhane stated knowingly. He himself had also been worried about the life of his best friend and teammate.

"I can't believe he's gone." She said as she shook her head in disbelief, doing her best to restrain her tears. "He's our leader and I feel so lost without him around to guide us."

"Hey, you have me." Zhane said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I won't let you and the others down, I promise."

Adia nodded just as the doors slid open revealing Cain and Harper who was dressed in loose pajama bottoms and one of Cain's shirts to cover her swollen belly. She walked over to the holographic interface and inserted a data diskette into the drive before pulling up a large program.

"Harper, what's going on?" Zhane asked. "Did you find any new information?"

Harper nodded before sliding her hands across the digital screen to pull a file open. An enlarged image of the insect Zhane had brought back to the base could be seen on the screen.

"After hours of extensive research, one of the scientists in the eastern colony managed to receive word from a nearby planet on this insect. It's known as the Barillian Bug. It is an evil, sadistic creature whose only intent is to reproduce. This bug that Zhane brought back was a natural Barillian Bug- meaning it was a nested creature, not a mutant. The nesting bugs only purpose is to sting a victim so the mutation spree can begin."

"So this bug somehow got to our planet and stung a victim with the intent of creating a new population of Barillian Bugs." Andante said as he began to piece things together.

"That's right." Harper said as she moved the screen to the image of a Karovian in a containment chamber. "Some of the fieldworkers subjected themselves to testing and allowed themselves to be stung by one of the bugs. The researchers have determined that the change can occur anywhere between three and thirty minutes. Once a person has been completely transformed by the sting, they lose all sense of their former selves and immediately begin seeking another victim. Unlike the natural bugs who die as soon as they find a host for the venom, mutated people do not die and continue to infect others."

"Is there a chance of us finding a cure?" Adia asked, suddenly fearful for the lives of her and her friends.

Harper smiled and nodded her head. "When I last spoke with the researchers, they had gotten in touch with another planet who found a way to slow the transformation down. Using the information they gathered from them and after conducting a few tests, they think they can cure the populous."

"That's great!" Malina exclaimed. "Once the cure is fully tested, we can begin exterminating this virus."

Just then a loud crash could be heard off in the distance. The rangers grew silent as they looked around, fearful of what could be happening. Another loud crash could be heard followed by distant screams.

Harper turned back to the computer and shut her program down before pulling up the surveillance system. The front doors to the base could be seen. They were completely open and the guards were lying on the ground twitching in agony.

"They're here." Adia realized as she and Zhane slowly stood to their feet.

Cain ran across the room and hit the panic button. The entire base was filled with the sound of blaring sirens. Cain motioned for the rangers to follow him before scooping Harper up into his arms and running down the hall. They continued to pass workers and trainees who were trying their best to get away from the bugs. Cain could see two insects up ahead and rounded a corner, the remaining four rangers behind him. Zhane began to panic at the sight of a wall up ahead of them. They had reached a dead end.

He looked over his shoulders and could see the two insects they had spotted earlier in hot pursuit of them. When he turned around, the wall in front of them opened up like two sliding doors. Kadence and Damian could be seen waving their arms rapidly as they urged them to run faster. They made it into the room in record time and Kadence punched in a code. The door slid shut just in time, the insects slamming face-first into it on the other side.

Everyone was breathing heavily as they looked around, relieved that they had escaped their demise. Once she was able to catch her breath, Adia turned to Kadence and Damian.

"Thanks you guys. You saved us."

"No problem." Kadence said with a smile.

"Where are we?" Andante wondered as he looked around the unfamiliar room. "I don't remember this place being a part of the base tour."

"It's the disaster shelter." Cain explained. "It's only to be used in case of emergencies. This room has an access hatch that leads to the tunnels beneath the capital. You can use the tunnels to get outside and summon your gliders to take you to the eastern colony."

"But what about you guys?" Malina asked. "We can't just leave you behind to become bugs."

"Don't you worry about us." Damian said with a confident smile. "In case you've forgotten, we were once rangers ourselves. We can hold our own for a while if the bugs manage to penetrate the wall."

"Harper, I want you to go with them." Cain said.

Harper raised an eyebrow before turning around to face her husband. She crossed her arms across her chest.

"What do you mean I'm going with them? I'm not leaving without you."

"Harper please." Cain said. "If something happens to those scientists, you are the only one who will be able to finish concocting a cure. Besides I don't need you getting turned into an insect. Who knows what kind of effects the change would have on you and the baby."

Harper nodded quickly, finally understanding her husband's motives. "Right. Let's go you guys."

Cain nodded before walking over to his wife and pulling her into his arms. His arms slowly snaked around her waist as he pressed his lips against hers lovingly. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers as he smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She said with a smile mirroring his own.

Harper pulled away before motioning for Zhane and the others to follow her. Cain, Damian, and Kadence watched as she punched a code into a small keypad, causing another wall to open across the room.

"Come on you guys, let's go." She said.

"Contact me as soon as you get there." Cain instructed. Zhane gave him a thumbs up before following Harper into the tunnel.

The tunnel was very dark, the only light coming from overhead lights with green bulbs. Adia shivered as they made their way through the tunnels.

"It's so cold in here." She said as she wrapped her arms around herself to try and warm up. "How far underground are we?"

"Not too far." Harper said. "Come on, we don't have too much further to go."

The rangers continued their walk through the green tunnels, but stopped as an ominous sound could be heard behind them. Harper looked over her shoulder, suddenly worried about Cain and the others- but all she could see was the light coming from the opened tunnel miles away. She turned around and sighed in relief at the sight of another keypad panel. The others stood back and watched as she hurried to type in the code. The wall opened up revealing a set of stairs. They all made their way up six flights and were relieved to find themselves just behind the capitol building.

"Alright guys, let's get to it." Zhane said. "Galaxy Gliders, Hang Ten!"

When the Galaxy Gliders appeared, the rangers hopped onto their vehicles. Zhane held out a hand and helped Harper onto the back of his glider. He couldn't help but to laugh as the glider dropped down a little having the extra weight on top.

"Say two words and no one will be able to save your sorry ass when I kick you off." Harper said, turning her nose up in the air.

The others laughed before leaning forward and taking flight. Zhane mimicked their actions and Harper wrapped her arms around his waist as they lifted off the ground.

As they flew out of the capital, they could see people running around below them as the Barillian victims chased after them.

"We have to hurry." Harper said. "There won't be anyone left to save if we can't find a cure."

Zhane nodded before urging his Galaxy Glider to move faster. The two of them spared a glance back at HQ as they pulled away- the large tower of the capitol building fading off in the distance.

* * *

Damian paced back and forth across the disaster shelter, his hands behind his back as he tried his best to remain calm. Kadence watched him from her position on the floor, her back against the wall and her knees curled up to her chest.

"Damian, could you stop pacing? You're making me nervous."

"I can't help it. I just want Zhane and the others to contact us to say they made it the facility. I hate waiting, you know that."

Suddenly a screeching sound could be heard, causing the three former rangers to nearly jump out of their skin. Kadence stood to her feet quickly as a scratching sound could be heard on the other side of the wall.

"I think the bugs are trying to get in." she said as she took a calming breath.

"They can't get in unless they access the code on the keypad." Damian reminded her. "They aren't going to get in here."

"Hey, you never know." Kadence said as she walked over and stood behind him to use him as a shield just in case, her hands resting on his shoulders.

Cain walked over to the wall and pressed his ear against it. He could hear the bugs scraping their stingers against the wall from the other side.

"Their sole purpose is to attack and infect until there's nothing left to infect." Cain said. "They have a divide and conquer way of life."

"I can't even begin to imagine how many people they have infected." Damian sighed as he rested his right hand on top of Kadence's hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I just wish there was more we could do."

"At this point, there's nothing we can do." Cain said.

Suddenly, a loud crash could be heard on the other side of the wall. Then, a repetitive thumping could be heard. The keypad panel beside the door began to spark violently before exploding, leaving a cloud of smoke in its wake. Cain ran away from the wall and raised his hands in defense while Damion and Kadence followed suit. Just then, a set of mutated fingertips could be seen sticking out beneath the wall.

"They're breaking in." Kadence said in disbelief. "They fried the keypad's system."

"Let's get out of here." Damian said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the opened tunnel escape hatch. Cain followed after them. As they began their run through the tunnel, they could hear a loud explosion followed by a weird, gurgling sound. Cain looked over his shoulder and gasped at the sight of a group of infected bugs chasing after them.

"Run, they're gaining on us!" Cain shouted.

Suddenly, Kadence screamed as she pointed up ahead. Cain and Damian were shocked to see a group of insects approaching them from up ahead.

"Zhane and the others must have left the escape hatch open." Cain said as he continued to look behind and in front of him at the insects closing in on them. Out of habit, he reached down at his wrist, prepared to morph. When his hand came in contact with bare skin, he cursed under his breath, remembering that he was no longer the Red Ranger.

"You guys, what are we going to do?" Kadence shouted as she held onto Damian like a lifeline. As happy as Damian was to have her close to him, he couldn't stand the idea of her getting turned into one of those bugs. He looked behind him at Cain who was mentally trying to come up with a plan before turning back to Kadence who for the first time since he knew her looked close to tears.

"Kadence…" he said her name softly. Kadence turned to him, a panicked look in her eyes. "Run."

Before she could question what was going on, Damian used his telekinetic powers to lift Kadence up into the air. She screamed as he used his powers to throw her over the top of the approaching group of insects. She landed on the other side of the bugs, a little ways away from the door leading back into the shelter. She watched in horror as Damian and Cain began to battle the insects alone.

"Cain, Damian!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, not wanting to leave either of them behind, but Damian was not about to let her become a victim too.

"Kadence, get out of here right now!" he shouted before elbowing two of the insects in the chest.

"I'm not leaving you two behind!"

"I'm not giving you any other choice. Now get out of here and get to the eastern colony."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about us, just go. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they caught you too!"

Kadence gasped at his words and placed a hand over her heart. Perhaps she imagined it, but she could sense emotion and feeling behind his words. She met his gaze and saw the pleading look in his eyes as she nodded her head slowly and stood to her feet. She gave him and Cain one final glance before running back towards the shelter.

When she re-entered the room, everything was in shambles. Documents were strewn about and equipment had been damaged. The wall leading into the hallway had been severely damaged, especially near the base. She had to resist the urge to vomit at the sight of slime pooled on the floor.

She looked over her shoulder as the sounds of Cain and Damian screaming reached her ears. Ignoring how scared she was she turned and ran back into the base. It appeared to be deserted, but she knew better. There were hundreds of people housed at HQ and not all of them could have escaped from the insects. There weren't any within her peripheral view, but she knew there had to be one or two lurking around in the halls. She rounded the corner and made her way back into the Command Center, punching a code into the key pad on the wall to lock the door behind her. She then headed across the room and into Harper's lab. As the door slid shut behind her, Kadence could hear the same gurgling noise she heard earlier coming from the tunnels. Realizing that the bugs were closing in on her, she began to work fast.

Harper always kept a few spare weapons at the base just in case one of the rangers' weapons were damaged during battle. She also had a few weapons on hand in case of emergencies. Kadence ran over to the wall vault and punched in another code to open the cabinet door. She then pulled out two Astro Blasters. The Command Center door could be heard falling over and Kadence ran over to Harper's desk. She jumped on top, knocking several items to the floor as she pulled the air vent open and hoisted herself up into the tiny cavity, pulling the gate closed behind her. She held her breath as the door to the lab burst open and four insects crowded inside. Not bothering to stick around and be spotted, Kadence began to crawl through the vents.

* * *

The Astro Rangers touched down outside of the medical facilities and ran through the front doors with Zhane jogging slowly behind them as he carried Harper. They entered the testing facility and were greeted by the surprised faces of the workers.

"The Power Rangers." The lead scientist said with a smile. "I am pleased to have you here."

"It's nice to see you again." Andante said as he and Malina nodded politely. "Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of time to get acquainted. The Barillian Mutants are attacking the capitol as we speak."

"What about the Grand Elder?" One of the female scientists asked worriedly. "Did he manage to escape?"

"The bugs came in so fast, I highly doubt it." Andante said. "He does have guards on him twenty-four-seven, so it wouldn't surprise me if he did manage to escape in time. Still, the capitol is being overrun so quickly and none of us are going to be able to handle defeating foes of this magnitude. Please tell us you're almost finished with the cure."

The lead scientist nodded his head. "It's still in the testing stages though, so we aren't sure if it's going to work or not."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Zhane spoke up as he entered the room and set Harper down on her feet. "Test the damn thing. We don't have all day!"

"Zhane!" Harper scolded him as she slapped him in the back of the head.

"No, he's right." The lead scientist said, his face growing serious. "We're running out of time. Reports say the insects have taken over seventy-five percent of KO-35, and if the capitol has been infested too, that leaves us with five-percent of the population to work with."

"Then we'd better work fast." Malina said. "Power Down!"

The scientists watched in amazement as Malina powered out of her suit.

"Malina, what are you doing?" Andante asked worriedly.

"You guys get a hold of Cain and the others to let them know we've made it. I'll go with the scientists to administer the tester on the test subjects."

"I'll go with you." Harper said as she walked up behind the Pink Ranger and rested a hand on her shoulder. "If it doesn't work, we can help them find an alternative method."

Malina nodded before the two of them followed the other scientists through a set of sliding doors. Adia sighed as she rested her hand on top of her Astro Blaster and walked over to the large faced window in the lobby.

"It's only a matter of time before they reach us." She said as she stared up at the blue sky. "If we fail…KO-35 is doomed forever."

Zhane held his communicator up to his mouth and tried to contact Cain. When he received no answer, he was immediately worried.

"You guys, Cain isn't answering."

"Try Damian." Andante suggested, but Zhane received no response just like the first time.

Adia stared at the two of them, a look of disbelief on her face. "You don't think…they failed do you?"

Just then, Zhane's communicator began beeping.

"Cain, are you there?"

" _No, it's me Kadence. The shelter was broken into and we had to flee into the tunnels, but you guys left the escape hatch open and they got in."_

"Oh my God." Adia said as she took a deep breath.

" _Damian and Cain were able to get me away from the bugs, but they stayed behind to fight them off. Judging by what I heard when I left the tunnels, I don't think they succeeded."_

"Where are you now?" Zhane asked, concerned for the former Pink Ranger.

" _I'm crawling through the air vents at HQ. I'm doing my best to lie low until I can find a way out- but so far, every time I find another opening, there are insects in that room. I'm trapped."_

"We have to go back for her." Adia said, but Zhane shook his head.

"If we go back, the odds of us becoming victims will increase. As long as Kadence stays quiet, those bugs won't find her."

" _And just in case they do, I have a backup Astro Blaster to assist me. Don't worry about me guys, just do what you can to get that cure. Kadence, over and out."_

Zhane sighed before turning to Andante and Adia. "Should we tell Harper about Cain?"

"No." Andante said firmly. "It will only take her focus off of the mission. Our best bet is to stand guard just in case those bugs show up before the cure can be administered."

"Right." Zhane and Adia said as they drew their weapons and began to walk around the room, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. If those bugs were going to show up, they were in for a rude awakening.

* * *

Malina watched intently as Harper moved the newly created vial of tester and placed it inside of a smoke gun. After ensuring that the vial was intact, she passed it to the lead scientist.

"Alright, let's see if this will work." The scientist said as he approached the door leading into the containment room. Harper and Malina approached the window outside of the containment room and watched as the contained specimen began thrashing around wildly in his restraints. The scientist made sure one final time that smoke gun was loaded before slowly approaching the mutated creature. Harper gasped as one of the lower torso restraints snapped and the creature began thrashing more violently. Harper hit the communication button beside the window.

"What are you waiting for Kanai? Administer that tester right now!"

The scientist took a deep breath before firing at the insect. The three of them watched as the creature grew more agitated and finally, the last two restraints snapped.

"It didn't work!" Malina cried as the insect leaped off the table and tackled the lead scientist. Malina ran to the door, eager to get the scientist out before he too became a victim of the sting. When she got inside, the creature was holding the scientist up by the collar of his shirt as he slowly extended the stinger in his free arm. Just before the creature could strike him, it gasped and began to make a strange sound before dropping the scientist. The scientist scrambled onto his feet and ran over to Malina as the two of them watched the creature fall to the floor. Suddenly, the creature morphed back into a woman dressed in a lab coat.

"Rini, you're back!" The scientist exclaimed as he ran over to the woman who was looking around the room in confusion.

"Kanai, what in the world happened?" she asked as she tried to piece her memories together. "Last I remembered, we were in the experimentation room and I had been stung by that creature."

"That's a thing of the past now." He said. "All that matters now is the cure worked. It really worked."

The scientist turned to Malina who had a bright smile on her face. "We can save everyone now! Did you hear that Harper?"

"Already on it." The former Yellow Ranger said as she moved from the window over to the mainframe across the room. "I am sending in an order for mass production. As soon as the vials of serum are ready, I want all of you to load these into your Astro Blasters to administer the cure."

"Our Astro Blasters?" Malina asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is that even possible?"

Harper nodded. "The Astro Blasters run off a small viral of plutonium that is recharged during the periods that you and the others aren't using your morphing powers. In order to administer the cure, you're going to need to remove the viral of plutonium and replace it with the cure. Then, you should be able to fire upon the insects and rather than cause severe damage to them, you'll actually be helping them."

A loud crash interrupted the girl's conversation and the sound of Adia screaming reached their ears.

"They've found us." Malina said in realization.

Harper snatched the smoke gun out of Malina's hand and unloaded the tester tube. "Hurry up and morph. I need your Astro Blaster."

Malina nodded before popping the screen of her morpher open. "Let's Rock It!"

Malina quickly transformed into the Pink Astro Ranger and unsheathed her weapon before handing it to Harper. Harper moved quickly as she opened the access hatch of the blaster and carefully removed a small glowing yellow tube. She set the tube down carefully before shoving the tester tube inside and shutting the hatch. She then tossed the weapon to Malina and nodded.

"Hurry and help them. I'm going to try and grab as many of the tubes as I can. Meet me back here in ten minutes."

Malina nodded before running out of the lab and down the hall. She could hear the sounds of a struggle going on up ahead and when she reached the end of the corridor she spied Adia wrestling with one of the creatures as she was pinned down to the floor, the creature's stinger extended and ready to strike.

"Hang on Adia!" Malina shouted as she raised her blaster. "Hey you!"

The insect turned around and growled angrily at the Pink Ranger standing down the hall. Before it could even blink, Malina open fired, striking the creature in its chest. Adia watched in amazement as the bug fell onto its back before slowly changing into an innocent civilian.

Malina ran over to help her friend onto her feet. "Are you okay Adia, he didn't sting you did he?"

"No." she said as she watched the man sit up slowly and look around in confusion.

"What the heck is going on?" he asked as he observed the unfamiliar setting around him. "Where am I? What happened?"

"Sir, are you alright?" Malina asked as she helped him up.

"Oh my goodness, you two are the Power Rangers." The man said as a smile worked its way onto his face. "Please, tell me- what happened?"

"Sir, what's the last thing you remember?" Malina asked him slowly as she rested a hand on his shoulder.

The man placed his hand to his chin in thought. "I was out in the fields working when Mira started screaming that something had stung her. The puncture wound was really gross and I wanted to help her. So I took her to the medical wing and next thing I know, Mira was gone and some awful, disgusting bug creature was standing in her place. The last thing I remember was being stung, then nothing."

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Mira transformed into that insect." Adia said. "She was stung by what's known as a Barillian Bug, an insect whose sole purpose is to divide and conquer. You and several of the other workers were stung and proceeded to sting each other before moving on to attack the rest of the colonies."

"Oh my goodness. Has anyone been seriously hurt?"

"Thankfully, no." Malina said encouragingly. "We have managed to find a cure now so we can help to save everyone."

"What can I do to help?" the man asked. "I'll do anything to make up for the trouble I've caused you rangers."

"Follow me." Malina said before extending her hand and leading the man down the hall.

* * *

"Okay, so you all know what to do right?" Harper asked as she eyed the four rangers and restored civilians in front of her.

"We need to use the smoke guns and our Astro Blasters to restore the mutants back into Karovians." Andante said as he twirled his Astro Blaster around in his hand. "This will be a piece of cake."

"Right- just remember everyone, you have to remain a safe distance away from the insects to avoid being stung. If you run out of ammunition, return here to gather more. Malina and the restored civilians of this colony will stay here at the lab to ensure that they protect the serum and to take down any mutants that come their way. As for the rest of us, Zhane and I will go to the capitol in the northern colony to save Kadence and restore order to HQ. Andante, you head to the western colony to take out the mutants there. Adia will go to the northern colony to do the same. Once we've all finished up, we'll head to the southern colony to exterminate the bugs there and clear the fields. Is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded before loading their weapons. They then went their separate ways.

* * *

Harper and Zhane were horrified at the sight of the capitol being overrun by the mutants as they zoomed into the colony on the Silver Galaxy Glider. The Silver Ranger looked over his shoulder at Harper who smiled encouragingly before loading her Astro Blaster and open firing on the insects below. Zhane followed suit and also began to blast the insects, the two of them getting direct hits. They watched happily as the bugs began to transform back into Karovians, the people looking around in confusion as they tried to piece together what was going on. Not wanting the people to become re-infected, they continued to fire.

"There's too many of them." Zhane said as he spied more of the creatures filling the streets.

"Then let's steal their strategy to divide and conquer." Harper said. Before Zhane could question her motives, Harper jumped off his Galaxy Glider. Zhane shouted her name as he watched her plummeting towards the ground, but just before she hit the concrete, the Pink Galaxy Glider appeared and Harper landed on her feet successfully before firing at the mutants around her. Zhane felt his heart move from his throat back into his chest as he tried to calm himself. If Cain found out his pregnant wife had practically leaped to her death in her condition, he would surely have his head.

No longer worried about Harper, Zhane began to zip through the streets of the northern colony taking down every bug in sight, only having to reload his blaster twice. After thirty minutes of flying around the colony, he and Harper met up on the roof of the capitol building.

"I think we got them all." Harper exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. They pulled apart and Zhane smiled. Just then, a gurgling noise could be heard behind them as another insect emerged from within the capital building; but before Zhane could shout a warning, Harper swung her arm behind her and fired upon the bug, shocking the Silver Ranger.

"Harper, how did you-"

"Oh, come on Zhane. I was the Yellow Ranger for five years. Do you really think I don't know when someone's sneaking up behind me?"

As the bug transformed back into its human state, Zhane was shocked to see Cain lying on the ground. When Harper heard her husband moan, she gasped and spun around.

"Cain?" she shouted as tears filled her eyes.

Cain sat up slowly and placed a hand to his forehead as he tried to remember the last thing that happened to him. Needless to say, he was shocked when Harper ran over to him and tackled him so they were both lying on the ground.

"Harper, what are you doing-"

 _SLAP!_

Zhane was stunned when Harper struck her husband hard across the face. After the shock wore off, Cain slowly turned to his wife whose lips were poked out in a cute little pout, her arms folded across her chest as she struggled to keep herself from crying.

"I can't believe you!" she shouted. "You got turned into one of those insects and no one told me? I thought you were safe, what the hell happened?"

Cain smiled as he sat up and pulled Harper into his arms. He rested his head on top of hers and let out a low chuckle that sounded like music to her ears. She hugged him tight and buried her face in his shirt, her tears leaking through as she wept silently.

"I'm alright Harper. Everything's going to be okay."

"Where's Kadence?" Zhane asked suddenly, interrupting the moment.

"I was hoping she got away." Cain said as he helped Harper onto her feet. "Damian used his telekinesis to get her away from the bugs and we tried our best to fight them off. I guess the bugs managed to overpower us, huh?"

"You think!" Harper shouted.

"Where's Damian now?" Zhane asked as he looked out over the crowd for any signs of his mentor.

"I don't know." Cain said as he scratched the back of his head. "Last time I saw him was before I was transformed into one of those creatures."

Suddenly the sound of someone screaming reached their ears coming from inside the tunnels. The three of them exchanged a glance before heading inside. Cain walked into the tunnel cautiously, not sure if any remaining bugs were around. When they heard another scream they all charged into the tunnel, not sure of what lied ahead of them. When they reached the entrance to the shelter, they spied Kadence struggling within the grip of one of the creatures, kicking her legs and screaming as she struggled to release herself from their hold.

"Hang on Kadence!" Zhane shouted as he pulled his Astro Blaster out and began to open fire. The insect however was smart enough to run out of the way just before the blasts could hit him. "Damn it, stand still would ya?"

"Give me that thing." Cain said as he snatched the blaster out of Zhane's hand. Kadence leaned to her left and Cain managed to hit the monster directly in its face. Kadence hit the concrete floor with a thud, landing on her back as she watched in both fear and curiosity as the monster slowly transformed into Damian. When the transformation completed, Damian fell to the ground, landing right on top of her. Zhane and Cain rushed to help their friend as she did her best to lift the heavy guy off of her. Damian finally came to as Zhane pulled him off of Kadence who was gasping for breath.

"What's going on?" he asked as he looked around the room. "What are we doing in the shelter? Zhane, Harper?"

"The cure worked." Harper informed him with a smile while Cain tossed the Astro Blaster back to Zhane. "Malina and I managed to test it out at the facility. It only takes one dose and it works instantly."

Damian looked at Kadence who was staring at him a bit unsure as to whether or not she could trust him. After all, a few seconds ago he was ready to take her out.

"Kadence, I'm so sorry." Damian said, feeling ashamed of his actions.

"What, for trying to sting me or for forcing me to leave you and Cain behind in the tunnels?"

Damian sighed, his eyes sliding shut as he thought over his actions from earlier. "I couldn't risk having you become one of those insects too. I knew if one of us had a chance of getting out and actually surviving, it was you. You're smart, brave and strong. I knew you could handle it. Looks like I was right."

Kadence blushed as Damian gave her a proud smile. The happy moment was interrupted by Zhane's communicator going off.

"This is Zhane." He answered, hoping that he was going to be receiving good news.

"Zhane, it's Andante. I have managed to vaccinate everyone in the western colony and have just reached the southern colony. Malina is with me. She and the scientists managed to clear up the eastern colony and the lab. We've managed to save Silas and Anon. I guess they got stung in the process. We're all finishing up here in the fields now."

"That's great news. What about Koyu and Andros? Have you managed to find them?"

"No, but these creatures are everywhere. There's no telling if we've missed a few or not."

"Alright, I'm on my way. Zhane, over and out." Zhane ended the com link before turning to his four predecessors.

"I'm going to help the others clean up the southern colony. Are you guys going to be okay here?"

"We'll be fine." Harper said, waving him off. "We have to get this place up and running within the hour anyway. Once you guys get back, you'll have to make a global announcement that the infestation is gone."

Zhane nodded. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

 _Andros…Andros…Andros, help me!_

 _Karone…? Karone!_

 _Bwahahahaha!_

Andros's eyes shot open and the images of his sister being carried away by an unknown entity quickly faded away. He pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. _It was just a dream_ he had to keep reminding himself. _Only a dream._ Suddenly, Andros finally realized that something wasn't right. For one, he was lying on his back in the middle of the street and he could hear murmuring all around him. He slowly sat up, his loose hair falling over his shoulders and down his back as he blinked a few times to steady his vision. The colony was in shambles- buildings destroyed, debris littering the streets, fires blazing on in the distance- but no one appeared to be in a state of panic. In fact, everyone looked a little relieved.

With a raised eyebrow, Andros stood to his feet and looked around the area as he tried to piece things together. The last thing he remembered was seeing Koyu's morpher strapped onto the wrist of one of those bug monsters. Suddenly remembering the infestation, Andros raised his hands in defense as his eyes darted around the area. A few pedestrians who spied the teen looking around in confusion smiled before calling out to him.

"Andros, are you alright?"

"What's going on?" Andros asked the woman as he approached her and a young child. "The insects, where did they go? Where am I?"

"The insects are all gone." The woman said with a confident smile. "The other Power Rangers saved us all."

"The Power Rangers…they did?"

The woman nodded. "The Silver Ranger and the old Yellow Ranger were flying around the city on these floating boards. It was really cool. They were open firing on all the monsters and I'm not sure what happened, but they all returned to normal."

"You said the Silver Ranger and Harper were here? That must mean…I'm at the capital."

The woman nodded. "Of course. I know it all seems strange. When I came to, I found myself here and a little disoriented myself. I'm from the western colony, you know?"

Andros nodded his head slowly as he looked around the area. Everything was suddenly starting to become clearer to him. The bistro where he liked to take Adia after missions was up the block and he could see the park where he and his friends played galactic ball together. Way off in the distance, he could see the capitol building. A wide smile spread across his face and for some reason, he felt a little proud of his team.

"They did it." He said with a smile.

"Andros? Andros, is that you!"

Andros's smile seemed to grow at the sound of a familiar voice calling out to him. He turned around and laughed at the sight of Koyu jogging over to him. The two of them greeted each other and smiled as their hands clasped together.

"What's going on?" Koyu asked. "The last thing I remember was getting stung back at the fields. How did we wind up at the capitol?"

"It's a long story Koyu. I'm just glad to have you back on our side again."

Koyu raised an eyebrow, but Andros gave him a look, letting him know he'd explain everything later. Andros held his communicator up to his mouth and smiled.

"Calling all rangers. This is Andros. I don't know what you guys did, but I can't thank you enough. Koyu and I are both fine- but we're at the capitol. If you're at HQ, we'll meet you in the Command Center. If not, we'll see you when you get here."

Koyu smiled at Andros who repeated the action before the two of them ran off for HQ.

* * *

 **END FLASHBACK (Back to normal!)**

TJ was shocked by the entirety of Andros's story. One bug had almost managed to subdue an entire planet and if they didn't do something quickly, Carlos would in turn do the same. In spite of the horror of the story, there was one thing that stood out- Andros's best friend Zhane.

"Andros…you mentioned there being a Silver Ranger…what happened to him?"

Andros clenched his hand into fists tightly, his shoulders slumping. "Zhane has nothing to do with what's happening now. The cure that Harper and the scientists on KO-35 created should still be held within storage on KO-35. We have to go to KO-35 and get that cure if we have any hope of stopping Carlos from attacking."

"Andros…"

"TJ. Not now." Andros snapped. "I don't have time to explain. We have to go now."

TJ pushed his questions revolving around the missing Silver Ranger to the back of his mind before running towards his Galaxy Glider. As he and Andros took off, Andros raised his communicator to his mouth.

"Ashley, Cassie, this is Andros. The bug that stung Carlos is known as a Barillian Bug which has a divide and conquer strategy. Carlos was stung by a host bug meaning he doesn't have very long before he'll change into a Barillian Bug himself. When that happens, there will be no stopping him. He will stop at nothing to try and change you two into Barillian Bugs as well. I don't want to leave you alone, but TJ and I have to get to KO-35 and get the antidote for the sting. You must restrain Carlos and keep him locked in the infirmary. If all else fails, you'll need to morph and abandon the Megaship. Whatever you do, you mustn't get stung."

" _We're on it Andros."_ Cassie's voice floated through the speaker. _"You can count on us."_

* * *

 **A/N:** **This chapter was super lengthy, but I enjoyed writing it anyways. I hope you guys liked the flashback as much as I did. I hope to do more flashback chapters in the future. See you at the next update with Part 2!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	16. The Barillian Sting Pt 2

**A/N:** **Thanks for all of the feedback that I've been receiving for this story you guys. In all honesty, I didn't think anyone would be interested in reading a series rewrite; but so far, you guys have been awesome with all of your compliments and reviews. So thanks to you faithful readers! Now, on with the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)….Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **The Barillian Sting Pt. 2"**_

" _ **You must restrain Carlos and keep him locked in the infirmary. If all else fails, you'll need to morph and abandon the Megaship. Whatever you do, you mustn't get stung. We're heading back to the ship to grab supplies and then we'll leave for KO-35 immediately. Andros, over and out."**_

Ashley and Cassie nodded at Andros and TJ before the communication screen went black. The two of them stared at each other as an overwhelming sense of fear overcame them. Carlos was going to mutate into a Barillian Bug and there would be no stopping him once the sting fully took over his conscience. Cassie took a deep breath and nodded at her pigtail-donning friend before the two of them ran out into the hall towards the infirmary.

Cassie could hear strange sounds emanating from the infirmary as she and Ashley neared the door. It sounded like a disgusting squishing noise that you'd expect to hear during the screening of an "Alien" film. She grabbed Ashley's arm to slow her down before holding up a finger and stepping in front of her and motioning for her to follow slowly. The two of them peered into the room and were horrified to see a giant mutant bug with feelers, multicolored skin, and two giant eyes staring at them hungrily.

"Carlos?" Ashley said in a voice she didn't recognize as her own. She was shaking, her mouth agape as she stared at the creature with the black Astro Morpher attached to its wrist. There was no way that what she was seeing was really Carlos.

The Barillian Bug creature raised its clawed hands up towards the ceiling as it let out an ear-splitting sound that chilled the rangers' to the bone. It then dashed towards Ashley and wrapped its slimy fingers around her throat and pinned her to the wall. Ashley began choking in desperate need of air as she tried to pry the bug's fingers from around her throat, but its grip only tightened as her vision began to blur. Not wanting the mutant to hurt her best friend, Cassie ran up behind the bug and kicked it in the back, causing it to stumble forward. She then spun around and swung her left leg out in a heavy fan kick, knocking the monster to the floor and freeing Ashley.

Ashley collapsed on her knees and began to cough as she raised her right hand to her bruised throat. She looked up when Cassie screamed. The Barillian Bug was charging towards the un-morphed Pink Ranger with a feral look in its eyes. Slowly an opening appeared on the creature's rear end as a tail appeared, a long black stinger emerging from the tip as it made an attempt to sting Cassie; but before it could do any harm, a blast struck the creature. Ashley and Cassie looked towards the door and were relieved to see Alpha aiming a spare Astro Blaster at the creature. The Barillian bug was quick to retreat and used ocular beams to create an opening in the infirmary's air vent. It then took flight before diving into the vent and disappearing, leaving an oozing blue substance behind.

Ashley closed her eyes in relief that the creature had fled and Cassie dropped down on her knees and placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart. She had been very close to mutating just as Carlos had done and was not fond of the idea.

"Ashley, Cassie?" they could hear TJ's voice coming from the hallway. Cassie tried her best to move her lips to issue a reply, but she found her voice was stuck in her throat. The whole experience had really shaken her up.

Andros and TJ appeared in the room a few seconds later, both of them with looks of panic on their faces. Andros was at Ashley's side in a minute checking her over for any sting punctures. His eyes narrowed in anger when he spied the black and blue bruises on her neck from the Barillian Bug's hand. TJ leaned down and helped Cassie to her feet.

"Are you two okay?" he asked her.

"C-Carlos." She stammered. "He…he…"

"He turned into some sort of insect." Ashley finished for her, her voice raspy from choking earlier. "We would've been done for if Alpha hadn't shown up."

TJ could hear a sloppy dripping sound coming from across the room and looked up towards the air vent where the sound was coming from. It was obvious that the mutant had escaped.

"We have to search the ship." TJ said. "We can't allow him to escape, but we can't allow ourselves to be stung either."

Andros motioned for the rangers to follow him out of the infirmary and the four of them, plus Alpha, headed for the mess hall. Andros pulled his locker open to retrieve his backup Astro Blaster while the others followed suit.

"Make sure you switch your blasters to their lowest setting." He said as he readjusted the top of his blaster and pushed it downward to demonstrate.

"We should split up and search the ship." TJ suggested, much to Cassie's dismay.

"Are you serious? Teej, Carlos is lurking around the ship just waiting to sting one of us. Andros said that Barillian Bugs have a divide a conquer way of life. He will stop at nothing to turn us into bugs too."

"We'll have a better chance at finding him if we split up Cass, and you know it." TJ said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi, he's right Cassie." Alpha agreed as he waved his robotic arms around.

Cassie took a deep breath and exhaled through her noise slowly before nodding her head and adjusting her Astro Blaster.

"I'll go and watch the bridge." Ashley suggested. "Alpha can go with me just in case I need help with the system functions."

"Cassie and I will take the engine room." TJ suggested. "If there's no sign of him there, we can head to the bedrooms next."

"I'll check the lower level near the cargo bay and the entrance way. Please be careful guys, and remember, he isn't Carlos anymore."

* * *

Ashley walked cautiously around the bridge, her Astro Blaster in hand, as she continued to pace around the main controls. Alpha was quiet as he watched the Yellow Ranger with interest. Although she was holding her weapon tight, she was clearly trembling with fear. After all, her opponent was one of her dearest and closest friends. How was she going to be able to attack him should he try and cause her bodily harm?

Just then, a loud thump could be heard and the Yellow Ranger shrieked before turning towards where the sound came from.

"What was that?" she asked, her voice high pitched and tight as though she were struggling to breathe.

Andros suddenly appeared in the doorway and Ashley sighed in relief before setting her Astro Blaster down on top of one of the control panels. She wiped the sweat from her face and took a shaky breath as Andros approached her, a look of worry on his face.

"Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine." She stammered. "I just hate this so much. I am worried for Carlos, but I am terrified that he might succeed in stinging us."

Just then, the rangers' communicators began beeping.

"This is Andros."

" _ **Andros, Ashley, we've spotted him! He's on Mega Deck Six. We're in pursuit now!"**_

"On our way TJ." Andros replied before he and Ashley took off running into the hall.

As they neared the engine room, they could hear a feral sound off in the distance and the sound of TJ and Cassie's shouts. Once they reached the engine room, the Barillian Bug was jumping up onto the metal walkway above the engine. Cassie raised her Astro Blaster in preparation to subdue the bug, but Andros quickly grabbed hold of her arm.

"No, stop! You could hit the engine." He warned her.

Before Cassie could ask for an alternative, the bug had leaped off the platform and begun attacking the rangers. Cassie raised her arms to block a punch before the Barillian Bug kicked her hard in her stomach and sent her rolling across the metal floor of the engine room. The bug then picked up an empty blue storage barrel and tossed it at TJ and Carlos, knocking them to the ground. Ashley dove out of the way as the bug tossed another barrel towards her, sending it slamming against the wall before it bounced out into the hallway.

As the bug made a run towards TJ, Cassie jumped onto her feet and grabbed hold of the creature's arms.

"Carlos, please stop! We're your friends. We don't want to hurt you. Please!"

The Barillian Bug thrashed within the Pink Ranger's grip as it tried to free itself when suddenly, a thought crossed its mind. As it tried to twist itself free, its tail emerged just as it had done earlier. Feeling Cassie's grip loosening, the creature ran forward as the end of its tail pricked Cassie's neck.

The Pink Ranger screamed, her hands flying towards the wound where pain was beginning to gnaw at her skin. The others jumped out of the way as the Barillian Bug fled the room and disappeared out into the hall.

"It's getting away!" Ashley shouted as she prepared to run after it, but Andros grabbed hold of her arm stopping her. He then motioned to Cassie as TJ was busy helping her to her feet.

"He stung me." She said through gritted teeth as her body began to shiver, the cold of the sting starting to set in. "I tried to stop him and he stung me. I should have been more careful."

TJ moved Cassie's hands away from her neck before gently pushing her hair to the side where a fresh puncture mark could be seen on the side of her neck. It was very enlarged and her veins could be seen, a bright purplish color similar to how Carlos's sting looked before he transformed. TJ sighed before sending a worried look towards Andros and Ashley.

"It won't be long now." The Red Ranger said. "We need to restrain her as soon as possible and get to KO-35 for the antidote. We can't afford to lose another ranger."

* * *

Andros and Ashley worked hurriedly as they finished adjusting the metal and wire straps they had placed over Cassie. The Pink Ranger was surprisingly calm unlike Carlos had been when they'd brought him to the infirmary hours earlier. TJ gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and she spared a glance at him before smiling gently.

"There, you're all strapped in." he said reassuringly. "Hopefully, these restraints will be enough to hold onto you until Andros and I get back."

" _ **Now approaching KO-35"**_ D.E.C.A. spoke up suddenly, causing the rangers to jump. It had been a while since the A.I. had spoken; and given the fact that they were all on edge, her sudden announcement was a little off setting.

"Ashley, you need to go to the bridge with Alpha. It's the central operating system of the Megaship and we can't afford for any harm to be done to it. You must protect it no matter the cost. Even if it means you have to shoot."

Ashley nodded as she did her best to put on a brave face. As TJ and Andros ran out of the infirmary, a strange sound emerged from the overhead vents. Ashley could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she looked upward and investigated the vent. The same strange sound emerged and she quickly took hold of her Astro Blaster.

"Hurry Ash." Cassie said, her voice low. "I don't want you to be around me when it happens."

Ashley nodded before running out of the room.

Meanwhile, Carlos and Andros were busy making their way towards the jump tubes when a strange noise from the overhead vents reached their ears. TJ held out an arm to stop Andros from proceeding when suddenly, the Barillian Bug crashed through the ceiling tiles causing tiles and debris to rain down on the floor. Andros blocked a punch from the bug while TJ ran and did an aerial front flip over the monster's head and made a mad dash for the jump tubes. After kicking the Barillian Bug in the back, causing it to stumble, Andros ran to join TJ as the two of them jumped into their tubes and shot down to the surface of KO-35.

* * *

Andros and TJ landed right in the center of the Capital near a large statue of the last Grand Elder of KO-35. Andros turned to the statue and bowed in respect while TJ looked around at the abandoned city and the wreckage left after Astronema and Dark Specter's attack two years ago. Buildings were scarred from fire and damaged from explosions. Lamp posts were bent into odd shapes that could pass as sculptures in an abstract art museum on earth. The air smelled like a mixture of rust and mud and dust was floating around everywhere. Plants were dried up, the sidewalks cracked, and the ominous feeling of death lingered in the air; yet in spite of the graveyard surrounding the two of them, TJ felt a sense of calmness and beauty.

"I have returned Grand Elder." Andros spoke out loud, pulling TJ away from his thoughts. "It has been far too long. I am not here to stay for very long, but I promise to return soon to rebuild our once great nation."

TJ smiled proudly at Andros's devotion to his elder, but his smile quickly disappeared as his thoughts turned to Ashley being alone on the Megaship with a Barillian Carlos and by now, a newly transformed Cassie. If they didn't hurry, he and Andros would be returning to three Barillian Bugs onboard.

"Andros, we should hurry." He said.

Andros nodded before standing upright. "We have to get to the Eastern Colony. That is where the science and medical facility is located. There should be a little bit of antidote left in one of their storage areas."

TJ nodded before he and Andros extended their right arms towards the sky.

"Galaxy Gliders, hang ten!"

It only took a matter of seconds for the blue and red Galaxy Gliders to make their appearance, and TJ and Andros wasted no time hopping onboard and zipping off into the sky. As they flew over the Capital and towards the Eastern Colony, TJ felt his stomach sinking into the bottom of his stomach. Andros's retelling of what had happened to his home planet did no justice to the damage and destruction that he and TJ were currently flying over. TJ's thoughts turned towards the little blue planet of Earth that he was proud to call his home and how devastated he would be if it were to suffer the same fate as KO-35.

In a matter of minutes, the abandoned wreckage of the Capital disappeared and TJ and Andros found themselves flying over what seemed to be an endless field of white grass. A few abandoned houses could be seen here and there and it reminded the Blue Ranger of farmhouses back on earth. The two of them kept flying until they reached what appeared to be a small town of sorts composed of rectangular, white buildings with tall open windows. There was a large building resembling a standing octagon in the center of this white town with a strange statue on top of the roof. Andros began to lower his glider to the ground and TJ followed after him.

Once they reached the front doors, Andros jumped off his glider and headed for the sliding doors while TJ headed after him. Being that the colony was abandoned, the power sources had been depleted. So Andros was forced to use his Astro Blaster to shoot the glass of the front doors open. TJ followed the Red Ranger through the doors and through the winding halls of the medical facility as Andros led him towards a room located at the very back of the building. The door was purple and there was a sign in an unrecognizable font to TJ. A keypad popped out of the wall and Andros input a code before the door slid open.

The temperature in the room was extremely low and TJ couldn't help but to shiver from the sudden change in temperature. Andros walked towards a refrigeration station opposite the entryway and wasted no time shooting off the door's lock. He pulled out a large metal case before moving it over to a table located in the center of the room. He unlatched the case and smiled at the site of twenty clear vials of a fluorescent purple, Barillian Sting antidote.

"Here it is, the antidote." He said as he grabbed hold of one of the vials and popped open the side hatch of his Astro Blaster. Andros slowly removed the vial of plutonium from his weapon and replaced it with the antidote. He then tossed his blaster to TJ.

"That should be enough supply to change Carlos and Cassie back too normal."

"You two aren't going anywhere." A voice suddenly appeared in the room. Andros and TJ looked up and saw Darkonda stepping into the room, his sword propped up against his shoulder. "My, my, you two have gone through a lot of trouble traveling here to find a cure for my Barillian Sting. Now, hand over the antidote or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands."

"Go." Andros said to TJ as he shoved his Astro Blaster into the Blue Ranger's hands. "You need to get the cure back to the Megaship to cure Carlos and Cassie. Ashley's in danger."

"Right." TJ said as he snatched the case of antidote off the table to take with him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Darkonda growled angrily as TJ ran towards the door.

"Don't worry about him Darkonda." Andros shouted as he raised his hands in defense. "I am your opponent."

"You honestly believe that I would just let the Blue Ranger escape with that antidote? How naïve are you Red Ranger?"

Darkonda charged towards the doorway TJ had previously escaped through, but Andros quickly jumped in front of him, blocking his path. Darkonda growled angrily before attempting to knee the Red Ranger in the stomach, but Andros blocked him using his own knee before elbowing Darkonda in the back of his neck. Darkonda fell face first to the floor but quickly stood back up and grabbed Andros's forearms. The two of them pushed against each other, both of them trying to gain the upper hand; but Darkonda proved to be stronger as he pushed Andros back, causing him to stumble. The creature then lifted the Red Ranger up into the air before throwing him up against a large pipe on the opposite side of the room. Andros grunted in pain as his back slammed into the structure, yet he managed to find the strength to get back up just as Darkonda was charging back towards him.

Just as Andros prepared for a head on collision, Darkonda disappeared before reappearing beside the red ranger with his arm outstretched in a similar fashion to Ashley's Battle Blade technique as he swiped at the side of Andros's suit. He then disappeared again before reappearing behind the Red Ranger and striking him in the back of the neck. Darkonda continued his disappearing act three more times before reappearing directly above Andros and stomping on his back, slamming him face first onto the concrete tiled floor.

"Now, to finish you off." Darkonda cackled menacingly as he held his right hand out and summoned his sword. The grip was silver with black veins weaving around it, the blade a glowing blue almost like the base of a torch light. Andros could literally feel the power radiating off the blade.

"Say goodnight Red Ranger!" Darkonda shouted as he swung the sword down; but Andros managed to roll out of the way of the swing and watched as the blade sunk deep into the concrete floor.

"I'm not down for the count yet Ecliptor." Andros said as he stood to his feet. "It's time I debut a new trick. Battleizer, now!"

Andros raised his right arm in the air and flicked his wrist as the Battleizer for the Delta Megazord appeared. He then pressed the Battleizer's first setting and formed a fist with his right hand as it was enveloped with an intense warmth, a glowing blue energy surrounding it. Instructions on how to use the Battleizer's new setting scrolled quickly across his visor and Andros smirked before jumping up in the air and punching Ecliptor square in the chest. The creature stumbled back, growling in anger and pain as an electric shock swam through his body. He held his chest where Andros's fist had connected with his outer shell before glaring at the Red Ranger who had landed back on his feet with his arms raised in defense.

"Had enough yet Darkonda?"

"I'm just getting started." Darkonda growled.

* * *

Alpha watched Ashley as she walked cautiously around the bridge, her Astro Blaster in hand as she continued to look at the two sealed doors that allowed entry into the room. Her throat felt constricted and her heart was beating hard in her chest. She was terrified of what would become of her if TJ and Andros didn't hurry back with the antidote. She had been up against many monsters and creatures in her days since becoming the Yellow Ranger, but none of them were mutated versions of her best friends. Andros told her to shoot if necessary, but would she be able to live with the guilt if she were actually responsible for destroying Cassie or Carlos in their mutated state?

" _ **There is a disturbance detected in the infirmary"**_ D.E.C.A. spoke up suddenly, causing the Yellow Ranger to jump. Suddenly remembering a strapped down Cassie, Ashley ran over to the side control panel and pulled up a video surveillance image from the infirmary to be displayed on the Megaship's main monitor. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach at the sight of the infirmary bed empty, the restraints Andros had strapped around Cassie snapped.

"Cassie's escaped." She said, as she began to panic. "Alpha, the doors are locked right?"

"Yes Ashley, I made sure to-"

Alpha stopped speaking as a loud cranking sound could be heard. He and Ashley turned to the left doorway and were horrified to see two slimy, clawed fingers prying the door open. The gears of the automatic doors began smoking from the effort being put into opening them. Alpha hurried to stand behind Ashley as the right door began to be forced open to. The two of them began to back away as Ashley raised her Astro Blaster and began to frantically aim back and forth between the doors, unsure of which one would give way first.

" _ **Door failure in five seconds."**_ D.E.C.A. spoke as alarms began to blare throughout the ship.

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi, we're doomed!" Alpha shouted as he began to wave his robotic arms around in panic.

D.E.C.A. began counting down as both of the Barillian Bug mutants forced the doors open and began to walk towards a cornered Alpha and Ashley.

"Don't make me shoot!" Ashley warned the creatures as they leapt over the control panels and continued to close in on her and Alpha. "Carlos, Cassie, it's me Ashley. Please, try and remember. I don't wanna hurt you!"

The Yellow Ranger's pleas fell upon deaf ears as the openings in both of the creatures backs slid open and the stingers emerged dripping in slime that began to form puddles on the floor. Ashley squeezed her eyes shut and screamed as her right finger prepared to pull the trigger, but she was beaten to the punch as two blasts could be heard followed by the sound of the mutants falling to the floor. She opened her eyes and was relieved to see TJ un-morphed standing in the doorway with his Astro Blaster aimed at the second Barillian Bug. Both creatures had fallen on their back and were lying motionless on the floor.

Feeling tears stinging her eyes, Ashley ran past the bug creatures and into TJ's arms as he hugged her tight.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

Ashley nodded quickly, her pigtails bouncing. "Yeah, thanks to you. I thought I was a goner."

A strange sound could be heard coming from the mutant's direction and TJ and Ashley turned just in time to see both of the creatures morph back into a bewildered Cassie and Carlos. TJ and Ashley were at their sides in an instant helping them to their feet.

"What's going on?" Carlos asked as he looked around the bridge. "I thought I was in the infirmary."

"You and Cassie were bitten by Barillian Bugs." TJ explained as Alpha grabbed a scanner from the supply closet and began to scan the Black and Pink Rangers for any abnormalities. "Andros and I went down to the planet where you were stung and Andros confirmed it. The bugs have a divide and conquer strategy in which they sting a person and die. The victim of the sting turns into a Barillian Bug mutant before attacking and stinging every living being nearby, converting them into bugs too."

Carlos's facial expression was one of horror as he looked over the faces of his concerned friends. "I'm assuming I stung Cassie."

The Pink Ranger nodded. "Don't worry about it. You had lost all sense of who you were. I don't blame you; and besides, the others were able to find the cure on KO-35."

"What cure?" Carlos asked as his mind did its best to process this information.

"Look, there's no time to explain in full detail right now." TJ said as he motioned for the others to follow him to the jump tubes. "Darkonda showed up at the medical lab when Andros and I found the antidote and Andros is battling him alone. We have to go and help him."

"Right." The others agreed as they ran into the dining hall and up the stairs towards their jump tubes.

"Let's Rock It!" TJ shouted as they all turned and dove inside.

* * *

When the rangers touched down in the Eastern Colony, Andros and Darkonda were battling on the front sidewalk of the medical and science research facility. Andros had his Spiral Saber in hand and was blocking Darkonda's blade as he swung his sword about like a wild savage in attempt to get a hit in on the Red Ranger.

"Andros!" Ashley shouted, alerting him of their presence.

Before Andros could respond, Darkonda grabbed the Red Ranger's arm painfully before tossing him over to the rangers carelessly like a ragdoll.

"Man, am I glad to see you guys." Andros said in relief as Ashley and TJ helped him onto his feet. "Cassie, Carlos, how are you feeling?"

"Better now that the sting is gone." Carlos said. "I'm ready to get this guy for releasing that bug on me and Cassie."

"I'm glad to see that you're doing better rangers." Darkonda laughed. "Looks like that antidote really did the trick. I don't suppose you have the rest of it on you?"

"Like we'd willingly hand it over to you." Ashley spat as she and the others raised their hands in defense.

"You're going to wish you had brought some along by the time I'm finished with you!" Darkonda shouted as he raised his left hand in the air and summoned a cocoon. The rangers watched as he tossed it up into the air before splitting it in two using his sword, releasing a new Barillian Bug; but instead of immediately moving to sting its first victim, the bug morphed into a mutant similar to the type that Cassie and Carlos had mutated into not too long before.

"Oh no." Andros said as he and the others began to back away.

"Be afraid rangers." Darkonda said. "Be very afraid. This isn't an ordinary Barillian Bug. This one has an even _bigger_ sting."

With a menacing laugh, Darkonda extended his right hand towards the Barillian mutant, zapping it with orange energy before he disappeared from sight. The Barillian mutant then grew into its giant form before releasing an ear splitting cry up into the sky.

"We need Astro Megazord Power, now!" the rangers shouted as they extended their hands towards the sky. The fully formed Megazord dropped down in front of the rangers and they made haste as they teleported themselves on board and quickly took their seats.

"Astro Megazord online." They all said as they powered up their respective control panels and turned the Zord to face the mutant creature.

The Barillian Mutant charged towards the rangers and swung its clawed hands at the Zord, but the Astro Megazord dodged each of its swings. As the mutant wound up its left arm in another attempt to strike the bug, the Megazord caught its clawed hand mid swing before bending it painfully and elbowing the bug three times in its chest. The Barillian bug stumbled backwards but was knocked back even further as the Megazord wound its right arm up and punched it square in its chest. Before the mutant even had time to recover, the rangers summoned the Megazord's saber and powered it up to full power before the Megazord slashed the Barillian Mutant in one strike, causing it to explode on impact.

The rangers cheered as the bug disappeared in a bang of smoke and sparks. Another victory had been claimed for the side of good.

* * *

Astronema and Ecliptor watched the Barillian Mutant's destruction from a monitor onboard the Dark Fortress. Astronema had an unreadable expression on her face, her right hand placed beneath her chin in deep thought as she watched the Astro Megazord take flight and leaved the abandoned space colony.

"You see my princess?" Ecliptor spoke suddenly. "Not even Darkonda could best those rangers. He is a miserable failure and will only slow us down. You saw that he abandoned the bug as soon as it transformed. He didn't even stick around to finish off the rangers himself. It would be wise for you to never associate with him again. It is I who will help you bring those miserable Power Rangers down."

Astronema thought his words over carefully before turning to face him. The sliding doors of the throne room suddenly slid open as Darkonda stepped inside the room, his eyes still glowing a bright orange and pride in his step.

"You failed Darkonda." Ecliptor said as he pointed an accusing finger at him. "You are a miserable excuse of a henchman and should be thrown into the dark abyss of evil for your treachery."

"You think I failed this mission do you? Well as usual, you are wrong Ecliptor. I have won this battle, but not from the viewpoint you think. I have gained knowledge, great intel on the rangers that can further Astronema in her goals of defeating the Power Rangers. I have learned from my observations that the Red Ranger is the only _true_ Astro Ranger. The rumors of him recruiting the former Turbo Rangers of the planet earth are without a doubt true. They are planetary rangers incapable of understanding the galactic knowledge that comes with being a true Astro Ranger of KO-35. Without their precious leader, the rangers will crumble easily. So all we have to do is separate them from the Red Ranger, and I know _exactly_ how to do it."

A look of interest crossed Astronema's face as a wicked smile spread onto her lips. She walked over to Darkonda and placed a hand on his shoulder as she began to lead him out of the throne room.

"Tell me your plan." She said as they disappeared through the sliding doors. Ecliptor watched them leave, his blood boiling with anger. He was going to make sure his nemesis was removed from both his and Astronema's presence if it was the last thing he were to do.

* * *

Andros stood on the rooftop of the Eastern Colony's medical and science building staring out into the distance as he moved his locket between his fingers, lost deep in thought. The others had gone back to the Megaship after putting the Megazord back into sleep mode for their next battle so they could repair the minor damage done to the ship during the Barillian Bug's attack on the ship. They had let Andros miss out on all the "fun," knowing that the Red Ranger deserved a little time to enjoy his home planet while they were there, in spite of it being abandoned.

The Red Ranger's thoughts drifted back to when he was a little boy in the park with his twin sister playing their levitating ball just as they did everytime they ventured to the park as kids. His dad and mom would set up a picnic and watch the two of them play for hours on end without a care in the world. He then remembered the last trip he had taken to the park with his family as the sound of his sister's terrified screams echoed through his head.

Andros was pulled from his thoughts as two small hands rested on his shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. He looked over his shoulder and smiled as Ashley smiled back at him, her pigtails framing her face.

"Whatcha thinking about?" she asked with interest, a sad smile on her lips as though she already knew what was weighing on his mind.

Andros pointed out over the horizon where the forest started, his home hidden deep inside. "There's a small park over there where my parents used to take me and my sister Karone. That's the same park where she was kidnapped all those years ago."

Ashley nodded as she let his explanation sink in. Carlos had filled her and the others in on Andros's missing sister a while back when he had been injured trying to save Andros from Ecliptor. The story made the Yellow Ranger's heart ache for the Red Ranger even more. How much more would pain was deep seeded in Andros's past that could threaten his sanity at any given moment?"

"I was only a child at the time, and I blamed myself for her being taken from us." Andros admitted. "In all honesty…I still blame myself. I mean, I know there is nothing that I could have done. I was six at the time. I wasn't the Red Ranger. I didn't have powers on my side to help me get her back. I always wondered why someone would target her. Why someone would take her from our family. We weren't wealthy by any means. My father wasn't a local figure. We were just a small, ordinary family and yet…"

Ashley could see the tears welling up in Andros eyes and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back and pulling him close. She could feel the Red Ranger lean into her embrace as some sort of silent thanks and couldn't help but to smile at the gesture.

"The others and I all know how hard this is for you. You have been dealt more within eighteen years of life than any of us have and we don't know how you manage to stay so strong all the time; but Andros…it's okay to let down those walls every now and again. You don't have to be so strong all the time. We're here for you and we always will be; and no matter what the outcome, we are going to help you find out what happened to your sister. I promise."

Andros sighed as Ashley released him. He turned around and smiled before wiping away the tears that had managed to leak free. Ashley smiled back before extending her hand.

"Come on. Let's get back to the Megaship."

Andros stared at her hand for a moment before looking back at her face and the reassuring smile gracing her lips. His smile seemed to grow as he took hold of her hand. In that moment, he knew that Ashley's words rang true. Somehow he knew that with her by his side, he'd be able to get through anything.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Review!**


	17. Unforgettable Laughter

**A/N:** **Hey guys; I'm back after taking a brief hiatus. I decided to sit down with my beta reader and axe all episodes from the original series that I did not wish to include in my rewrite so I could add in the filler from my series. I hope I didn't lose to many of you faithful readers in my absence; and if I did, maybe I'll be able to gain you back! Now, on with the update.**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)….Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series _Power Rangers in Space_. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story _"PRIS: Fallen Stars"_ and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

 ** _"Unforgettable Laughter"_**

 _"What are we going to do Urian?" a distraught Elenis spoke in between sobs. Her husband Urian walked over to where she was sitting and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind. He rested his head on hers, his shoulder-length brown hair draping over the top of her own long hair, as a sigh escaped his lips. He too was at a loss of what to do, and he had no idea of how to bring comfort to his wife._

 _"We'll find her Elenis, don't worry." He spoke softly, his soft tenor voice trying its best to convince her that the words he spoke were true._

 _"She's just a little girl!" Elenis shouted as she shrugged his arms away and stood from the chair abruptly, its metal legs scraping loudly against the stone floor of the kitchen. Her hair swung around when she turned to face him before resting back at her calves as she threw her hands up in the air. "She's all alone and scared, and she probably has no idea what to do. Who would do this? Why would someone take her? It's not like we have a high status around here. I want my baby back Urian. I want her back!"_

 _Elenis dropped down onto her knees and buried her face in her hands as she began to sob uncontrollably. Urian moved to comfort his wife, lowering himself onto his knees and ignoring the pain of the stone scraping at his kneecaps, before taking her into his arms and rocking her comfortingly._

 _"I've already alerted the Grand Elder and he promised that the Astro Rangers will look into our case. There has to be a reason someone would take Karone from us; and if anyone can find out the reason, it's the Power Rangers."_

 _Elenis ignored her husband's reassuring words, her sobs only growing louder. Meanwhile, the couple's only remaining child watched his parents from the doorway, his fingers curling tightly around its wooden frame. His mother was usually so strong and put together, the opposite of his father who was rather emotional and very soft. It was the first time he had ever seen her cry._

 _The scene of his parents soon faded away into darkness and the little boy was frantic as he began to call out for them. Just as quickly as the darkness had appeared, it vanished, and the little boy found himself standing in the middle of a vaguely familiar forest. A throaty laugh reached his ears and he spun around quickly to see a hideous creature staring at him menacingly, his eyes glowing a fluorescent orange. He looked like a crossbreed between an insect and an over-sized human, his skin resembling a sharp angled bug skin. He was a multitude of colors ranging from brown and black to a sickly orange-yellow. To add onto his appearance, he had three green gems running down the middle of his scalp, two enlarged shoulder pads, and rusty metal chains that were attached from his back to his wrists._

 _"Who are you?" the little boy demanded to know, remembering that he should always remain brave regardless of how scared he actually was._

 _"I'm hurt that you don't remember me." the creature spoke as he drew his sword and began to walk in circles around the Karovian boy. "You and I go way back Red Ranger."_

 _"Red Ranger?" the little boy spoke. "What do you mean? I'm no Power Ranger."_

 _"Ah, but you are my dear boy. Don't worry. I'll be sure to strip you of that title when I'm through with you!"_

 _The creature lunged towards the boy, the tip of his blade aimed right at him as he closed in. The little boy let out a terrifying scream as the blade was driven through his gut and slid out his back. Pain clouded his vision and he could see nothing but black spots as the pain continued to increase, spreading throughout his nerves like fire. He could feel the blood sliding down his chest, his knees shaking as they lost their strength, and finally, the feeling of the soft dirt and grass below him as he fell face first onto the ground. The creature laughed at the boy, the sound echoing throughout the trees before fading away like a whisper, leaving the boy alone to die._

* * *

Andros shot up quickly, a scream tearing through his throat as he doubled over in pain. The lights in his room flickered on without being prompted as the Red Ranger clutched his stomach. "It was a nightmare" he kept repeating in his head, but his body couldn't distinguish the reality of the situation. The pain was still there. He could distinctively remember the feel of the blood on his chest and the dirt pressed against his face. He could hear the sound of Darkonda laughing as he walked away and left him to die. The teen began to hyperventilate as the walls seemed to close in on him, making him feel like the small little boy in the dream. Darkonda's laughter echoed off the walls as the sickening sound of the creature's sword tearing through his flesh splattered inside his head. Suddenly coming out of his temporary paralysis, the nausea hit, and Andros found himself jumping out of bed and running into the adjoining bathroom. He fell hard on his knees, ignoring the pain as he leaned into the metal toilet bowl and heaved up the contents of his stomach.

Halfway through his heaving, he felt someone pull his loose hair away from his face while their other hand rubbed his back comfortingly. When he finished, he coughed before resting his head against the toilet seat. His bathroom companion stood from the floor and walked across the room. Andros could hear the water tap being turned on and off in a second, followed by the sound of sock-covered feet shuffling across the metal floor. He could sense the person's presence beside him as they crouched down.

"Drink this." Ashley's voice greeted his ears. Andros opened his eyes weakly and found himself staring at the Yellow Ranger, her face lined with worry, as she held a paper cup out to him. He slowly lifted his head, his hair falling over his shoulders and in his face as he took the cup from her and drank it all. When he finished, he took a shaky breath before handing the cup back to her. He watched as she stood to throw the cup away before he sighed aloud.

"I'm sorry." he spoke, his voice hoarse and his throat completely raw. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't wake me." she said as she returned to take a seat on the floor beside him. "It's seven. I was just about to hop in the shower before going to check the ship's systems with Carlos when I heard you scream. I was worried, so I came to check on you. Are you alright?"

Andros didn't answer. His fingers curled into tight fists as he began to shake. He didn't want her to see him this way- a weak, disheveled mess who could barely hold himself together. He was the leader of their team and commander of their ship. He was supposed to be level-headed, calm, and a protector of others. Yet time and time again, he found himself being the weakest of them all who could barely keep himself together because of the ghosts that followed him around. Feeling his eyes burning with tears, he curled his knees up to his chest and folded his arms over top them before burying his face in his arms and crying silently.

Ashley wrapped her arms around him lovingly, pulling him close to her, as she rested her head on top of his. The two of them sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity - Andros's head against her bosom as he listened to the calm, steady beating of her heart.

 **"Ashley."** D.E.C.A. spoke up suddenly, the sudden sound of her voice causing the two rangers to jump. **"Carlos is requesting your presence on the bridge. Shall I notify him that you are busy?"**

"That's okay D.E.C.A." Ashley spoke softly to the A.I. "Tell him I'll be there in a sec."

 **"Understood."**

Andros lifted his head from Ashley's chest and she allowed her arms to release him as she watched him with concern-laden eyes. Andros avoided her gaze and focused his attention on the floor as though he were afraid to see the expression on her face.

"Thank you." He said quietly. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this. You must think I'm pathetic."

Ashley shook her head before lifting a hand to his cheek, cupping it gently as she coaxed him to look her in the eye. The frown on her face deepened when she spotted the pain and remorse in his eyes – a look of deep shame.

"No, I don't think you're pathetic." She said, her voice trying its hardest to convey how true her words rang. "In fact, I think you are the strongest person I know."

"Really?" Andros asked, forcing a smile as he wiped away the tears staining his face.

"Of course Andros. You've been through so much…more than I ever have in my lifetime. You carry the burden of your teammates deaths, the burden of your planet falling to Dark Specter and Astronema's reign; and yet you still manage to find the strength to get up in the morning and lead our team to the best of your ability. Everyone's strongest faces have flaws Andros. You don't ever have to pretend you're alright for our sake. You don't ever have to feel ashamed. Not to me anyway."

Andros didn't fail to notice the blush that was coating the pretty brunette's cheeks like a pink, powdery dust. He couldn't help but to smile at her for her kind, honest words. He wondered what else could case her cheeks to darken in such a beautiful way.

Ashley tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before standing from the floor and offering him a hand.

"I'm gonna go help Carlos. I guess I'll see you whenever you get yourself together; and don't worry. I won't say a word about this to the others."

"Thanks." He said.

He watched Ashley as she brushed past him and made her way out the sliding door of his chambers to head for the bridge. As he watched her go, he raised a hand to his shoulders that had been wrapped in Ashley's embrace moments earlier. She had been so kind and understanding – motherly in her own way; and in that moment, Andros had felt nothing but love and compassion coming from her.

His cheeks warmed up, and he raised a hand to touch the smooth skin. He spared a glance in the mirror, blinking twice at the sight of a pink blush dusted across his cheeks too.

* * *

Andros walked onto the bridge, his boots thumping against the metal floor, as he pinched the bridge of his nose to ride himself of an awful headache. He opted to shower after his night terror an hour beforehand hoping it would calm his nerves, but it proved to be of no help. The images of Darkonda sheathing his sword through his body wouldn't leave the Red Ranger's mind, and he felt like he was going to be sick all over again. However, the duties of being Red Ranger needed to be done; so he ignored the pain thumping against his skull and opted to help his teammates finish their scans.

Carlos and Ashley were heading towards him, two scanners in hand as they offered him a smile.

"Morning Andros." Carlos said with a wave while Ashley offered him a smile as though she were saying she was glad to see him.

"Hey." He responded, his voice hoarse. "What's going on?"

"We're going to go and check out a planet in the Dagobah System." TJ explained as he and Cassie walked over to join Ashley and Carlos. "D.E.C.A. detected an abnormal energy signal coming from the planet, so we're going to go and check it out."

"Zordon?" Andros inquired, his eyebrows raising with interest.

Cassie shook her head. "No, we don't think so. The signal isn't strong enough to be Zordon's; but it's large enough to be picked up on the ship's scanners. We think it might be Rita or Zedd, so we're going to check it out."

"Okay, let me grab my morpher." Andros said as he turned to leave, but he was stopped by Carlos who set a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry 'bout it man." He said, his Hispanic accent coating his words. "We're only doing a quick observation. We're not even taking our morphers. Besides, Ashley told us you weren't feeling too well this morning thanks to the sushi we whipped up in the Synthetron last night. Why don't you just stay back on the ship and monitor things from here?"

"Yeah, we won't be gone long." Cassie reassured him.

Andros spared a glance at Ashley who had a sympathetic smile on her face. She obviously had to come up with some sort of fib to keep the others from questioning his whereabouts all morning. So with a heavy sigh, he nodded his head.

"Fine. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need my help. I'll launch a scan from Zordon from here."

"Alright man, we'll be back." TJ said before grabbing his own scanner out of a nearby cabinet and following the other three rangers off to the jump tubes.

Alone and with nothing to do, Andros sighed before moving to grab his touch screen tablet from its holding place beside the control panel.

"Begin search now D.E.C.A." he instructed the A.I. before moving to TJ's steering controls and reading over D.E.C.A.'s search results.

 **"Now searching sector 07459 for Zordon. Searching algorithm S.P.P."**

While D.E.C.A. continued to search silently, Andros walked over to take his seat. He looked up at the ceiling, the rectangular-shaped fluorescent lights beaming down at him and illuminating the room with light. His thoughts turned back to his nightmare that had thrived off his memories.

He been just six-years-old when Karone was taken from him and his parents. He had been so scared, a defenses young boy who had simply wanted to enjoy an outing with his family; but instead, been forced to cut the family trip short after his sister was carried away. She had screamed, her little voice shrilling as it vibrated his eardrums and caused his stomach to churn. She had called for him, begged for him to help her. He had been her hero growing up. He fought off monsters that would hide under her bed and in her closet. He kissed every scrape and bruise she got when she was first learning how to control her telekinetic abilities. He had been his parents pride and joy who excelled in school and athletics. He was a little boy genius that his father had no doubt would become a head scientist in the Eastern Colony; and he gave his sister just as much praise as they did – cheering her on for the smallest accomplishments like finishing dinner, or getting the second highest grade in their class. They were going to grow up and be Power Rangers together, she used to say. She called him her protector, her brave warrior that would never leave her side. So when she was cruelly snatched away from them, he felt like he had failed her. What good is a hero that can't save the damsel in distress?

Karone's screams echoed through the Red Ranger's mind and he squeezed his eyes shut to keep the ghost of little Karone away; but the ghost only screamed louder. A game of telekinetic ball had gone so horribly wrong. Karone was still learning how to use her powers and had accidentally knocked the ball out of range. Andros, being the good big brother he was, had jumped up to grab the ball his twin sister had thrown out of the way; but he paused his retrieval as her screams grew louder and louder. Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound began to echo throughout his head. The sound of Darkonda's laughter as he stabbed a young Andros in his nightmare. It sounded so foreign alongside little Karone's screams; but suddenly, the two were in sync, as though they were two tracks that were meant to play alongside one another.

Andros's eyes shot open as he looked around frantically, the screaming and laughter fading into nothingness, leaving him to listen to the sound of the ship's engine running alongside the overhead air vents.

He reached a shaky hand inside his shirt, pulling out his pendant and thumbing its metallic surface, the grooves tickling the pads of his thumbs as he moved to unlatch it. He stared at the picture of him and his sister smiling back at him before grabbing the small video chip tucked in a holding space behind Karone's picture. He then inserted the chip into a slot on the ledge of his control panel before leaning back in his seat.

The windshield of the ship phased into its viewing screen mode, the video of Andros and Karone playing with their ball coming up onscreen. Just as the camera turned, following Andros and his ball and Karone started to scream, Darkonda's laughter could be heard in the background.

"Freeze playback!" Andros shouted suddenly, the video stopping when Andros's father was thrown back by an electric blast. "Zoom in and enhance image."

The video screen did as it was instructed, a digital sound coming from the overhead speakers as it worked its magic. Andros's eyes widened as he leaned forward, his fingers gripping the armrests of his chair so tightly that his knuckles were turning white from the force. He had re-watched this video thousands of times since obtaining it from his family's belongings during KO-35's abandonment and had every second memorized. Only now, just days after meeting Darkonda was he finally able to put a name and face with the laugh.

"He _took_ her…" he whispered angrily. Hatred began to boil in the Red Ranger's chest, his face growing hot as his teeth grit together. So many questions slammed against the inside of his head – _why_ being the main one. With a growl, Andros slammed his hands down on his control center before standing up abruptly, his chair falling over and onto the floor with a loud crash, before he stormed out of the room and headed towards the dining hall.

 **"Andros, you seem upset."** D.E.C.A. spoke up as her counseling programming kicked in, her search for Zordon having been long forgotten. **"Where are you going?"**

Andros ignored the A.I. as he stomped through the kitchen archway and over to his locker. He snatched his scanner and morpher before slamming the door shut and heading to the jump tubes.

"I'm going to Onyx D.E.C.A. Do _not_ send the others after me."

 **"You must not go to the planet Onyx Andros."** D.E.C.A. responded firmly.

"I don't care D.E.C.A." Andros snapped as he headed up the stairs.

 **"The planet Onyx is located within a prohibited sector. Onyx was forbidden to be ventured to by Karovian law after request by former leader of the Power Rangers, Cain."**

"Cain isn't the leader of the Power Rangers anymore, I am. Besides, this mission has _nothing_ to do with the team. It's personal, and I intend to keep it that way. You _don't_ know where I have gone D.E.C.A. Understood?"

Without waiting for a response, Andros turned around and took hold of the handle bar positioned above his tube before jumping through and shooting out onto his Galaxy Glider. Onyx would have taken a mere twenty minutes to reach with the Megaship from its current location; but without its help, Andros was looking at an hour-and-a-half's traveling time.

"Get ready Darkonda. You have _no_ idea what's in store for you." He said as he squinted through the visor of his Red Ranger helmet and leaned forward.

* * *

The planet Onyx was known all throughout the galaxy as being one of the most dangerous planets to exist. It was the birth place of Dark Specter and his father's before him – a rather demonic and treacherous place. Within the recent millennium, the planet had evolved into a "hangout" for the galaxy's most notorious criminals – offering them forms of entertainment like bars, clubs, and a few battle arenas where the toughest of the toughest could find opponents to see who truly was the best of the best. It was also home to several businesses that made black market trades for weaponry, special elixirs and potions, and even some of the galaxy's deadliest poisons.

Andros watched as several hideous creatures walked around the downtown area through the red dirt-covered streets from his place in the shadows. He had arrived on Onyx in a little over an hour, shaving off an extra half-hour of his trip by pushing the limits of his Galaxy Glider. He had demorphed upon landing, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention to himself wearing his Red Ranger getup; and instead, opted to wear his thick red cloak that he typically used during stealth missions.

His eyes narrowed when he spied a Quantron flighter ship landing in the middle of the street before five Quantrons got off and head inside one of the three main bars located on the main strip. If there were Quantrons around, there was no doubt in his mind that one of Astronema's lackeys would be around too. If Darkonda weren't paying a visit to Onyx, then Ecliptor was his next guess; and he would have no problem beating the green and black cyborg until he got Darkonda's location out of him.

Pulling the hood of his cloak over his head to keep his face hidden, Andros stood from his hiding place behind a stack of rum barrels before heading into the swinging-door saloon.

* * *

The Onyx Tavern was one of the most popular bars on the entire planet. Monsters, creatures, and villains alike would travel to the bar to feast or throw back a few drinks over a game of darts or pool; and every night, there was always some form of entertainment. To the human eye, it was sort of similar to one of the bars one would expect to find on earth; but instead of drunken college students wearing skin tight clothing or old geezers looking for a way to recapture their youth and the "good old days," there were monsters and wanted galactic villains crowded around the bar and dancing on the provided dance floor to the rock and roll beats of a live band.

Darkonda held a smoking urn in his hand and took a sip chugged down the acid brimming in his cup before slamming it down on the bar top.

"You want another glass bub?" the bartender, a creature that looked like a mutated crossbreed between a shark and a chimpanzee asked as he wiped out a glass.

"Maybe later." Darkonda responded with a laugh. "I have a bit of business to take care of. Selman. Where is he? I was told that he has a new potion out on the black market that can increase one's strength tenfold."

"Why, he's up in his office." The bartender responded as he pointed a finger towards a door up on the balcony that wrapped around the second level of the tavern. "You'd better have something he's willing to trade for. I've heard he only gives it to the most generous of customers."

"Lucky for him, generous is my middle name." Darkonda growled as he stood from his barstool and made his way over to the stairs.

Several onlookers watched as the shelled creature walked up the stairs and headed for the oak door that overlooked the band's platform. He knocked loudly on the door and waited with an impatient tap of his foot for Selman to open the door. A few seconds later, the sound of little feet scampering across the hardwood floor could be heard and the door opened revealing a short creature with the face of a rabbit, a pair of bifocals resting on his red nose.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed." He stammered quickly, his lips moving as his eyes darted around nervously.

"The hell you are." Darkonda growled as he reached a hand out to keep Selman from slamming the door in his face. "If you know what's good for you, you'll keep this door open and give me what I came here for; and _trust_ , I am _not_ the kind of guy you want to piss off today midget."

Selman swallowed hard before nodding his head slowly. Darkonda smirked at the sight of the shorter creature shaking in the very spot in which he stood, sweat trickling down the side of his face as his skin paled. He bet if he took a step closer, the creature would pass out from sheer terror, his head slamming against the hardwood floor.

"What is it I can do for you Darkonda?"

"Now that's how a true businessman is supposed to speak. I heard you have developed a strength potion Selman; and before you feed me crap about being completely out, you should know that I am not the kind of customer you want to leave here unhappy. So unless you want me to break this door off its hinges and destroy every bit of inventory you have inside, I suggest you get me a whole bottle at the best price there is – absolutely free. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal sir. I'll be right back."

Selman slammed the door shut while Darkonda walked over and leaned his back against the railing of the balcony, his eyes never leaving Selman's door. He could hear hushed voices inside and raised an eyebrow with each passing minute. Just when he'd finally gotten tired of waiting, the door flew open as Selman stumbled through holding a vial with a fluorescent green liquid inside.

"Sorry it took so long. My apprentice just finished mixing the latest batch and we needed to find the appropriate storage container. Please Darkonda, do be careful; and be weary of side effects."

"Such as?" Darkonda inquired as he held the vial up to the overhead lighting, watching how the liquid bubbled inside its container, filling the little amount of empty space at its top with fog.

"Oh, the typical nausea and fatigue. Rest a full day after use and you'll be good as new."

"Right then. Pleasure doing business with you."

Selman took a shaky breath as he watched Darkonda head back down to the ground level before retreating into his office to wear Ecliptor was waiting for him.

"I did as you asked of me." He said in a small voice.

"Very good Selman." Ecliptor said with a low chuckle. "You will be rewarded for your services in due time. If that bastard thinks he can stroll into my territory and call the shots, he has another thing coming. It's time to knock him down a few notches."

* * *

Andros walked through the swinging doors of the Onyx Tavern as he adjusted the hood of his cloak. He looked around slowly at the criminals crowded throughout the room, recognizing some but not others. A few of the criminals had been in lockup on KO-35 before the colony was abandoned; but after the Karovian people had moved on, many of them had made their escapes. Ignoring them, his attention was called to a table in the far right corner of the room where he could easily recognize Darkonda's throaty laughter.

There was a card game going on. Andros recognized the circular playing cards from times when he'd watch his parents having game nights as a child. Darkonda was seated at the head of the table holding his three cards in his hands while he gabbed with four other monsters seated at the table with him. One of the monsters was Zynelt, a criminal he and his original team had formerly arrested on KO-35 for thievery. He was undoubtedly playing alongside Darkonda and the others to try and swindle them out of a few jewels.

Andros glared at Darkonda whose eyes were focused solely on his cards, the blue gems running from his forehead and up the length of his skull shining underneath the light from the overhead chandelier. Taking a deep breath to prevent himself from lashing out, he approached the table and observed as Darkonda managed to win the first round, scraping the stolen jewelry from the center of the table over in front of him, having won the round.

"Better luck next time boys. Looks like your trinkets are mine."

"You cheat." Zynelt snapped angrily as he reached for the laser blaster secured in a holster around his waist.

"I did no such thing." Darkonda said with a laugh. "Don't hate the player, hate the game. I'm more experienced it would seem when it comes to handling cards. Better luck next time you gambling wash up."

Zynelt growled angrily before stomping over to a separate gambling table across the room. While Darkonda roared with laughter.

"Which one of you losers is ready to make a bet?" he laughed while the remaining two monsters set their cards on the table to be re-dealt.

"Mind if I cut in?" Andros spoke, making sure to keep his voice low to keep his identity hidden.

"You have to have something worth a trade to get in on this game?" one of the other two players said as he took his seat.

Andros nodded slowly before reaching into his pouch and pulling out a necklace made with diamonds from the Karovian moon, a trinket belonging to his mother.

"My, looks like you do have something of worth." Darkonda laughed. "Fine then. You can sit in on a round boy."

"Deal the cards." Andros instructed before leaning forward, his forearms resting against the hardwood edge of the table.

Darkonda divided the twelve cards up evenly as their game began, each of them displaying their hands and depicting which moves to make while upping their betting amounts with each round. By the end of their fifth, Andros had managed to swindle all of them out of their money, mentally thanking Zhane for teaching him all the tricks of the game.

The player to his right, a rather ugly fellow with the appearance of a human with pig skin stood from his seat abruptly, his chair falling backwards as he summoned a blaster and aimed it at Andros.

"You cheated!" he growled angrily. "I don't appreciate being robbed of my hard end cash you son of a bitch. Prepared to be fried."

Andros stood up quickly, snatching the weapon from the unsuspecting man's hand before disarming it and tossing it to the side.

"You can make as many assumptions as you want. They won't change what a lousy player you are. You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Now if you know what's good for you, you'll get out of my sights at once."

The man nodded before running off, leaving the game behind.

"My, you're quite intimidating it would seem." Darkonda spoke in amusement as another player moved to take the man's seat. Andros sat down as Darkonda reached underneath the table and pulled out four black, metallic disks that were shaped like rectangles.

"What are those?" the creature to Andros's left inquired as he reached into his pockets to place more jewels on the table.

"Why, these are keycards of the great Zordon of Eltar."

Andros's eyes widened in shock as a smirk wormed its way onto Darkonda's lips.

"I heard he had been captured." The new member to the game spoke up from Andros's right. "Are those legit or counterfeits Darkonda? I wouldn't put it past you to show up with a bunch of fake trinkets."

"Oh my friend, these are the real deal." Darkonda laughed as he set them down on the table top. "I stole them off Astronema myself. Our cloaked visitor seems pretty confident in his gaming skills. Let's see if he has the talent to walk away with these babies."

Andros rolled his shoulders back before snatching the deck of cards off the table and shuffling them. He quickly dealt them out and smirked as he looked at the hand he held. He had a full house and was ready to take Darkonda down. After prompting for the other players to go first, he watched as they set their hands down on the table top, smirking as Darkonda laid down a hand that would have certainly trumped Andros's had he been missing a main card.

"Beat that Mr. Stranger." He said with a hearty laugh. When Andros laid his hand down on the table, Darkonda's eyes grew wide in disbelief, as well as the onlookers who had taken a certain interest in the cloaked visitor.

"Well, well, well." Andros spoke as he reached to take his winnings from the center of the table. "Game, set, and match."

The onlookers applauded Andros as he scooped his newly acquired jewels into a provided pouch and slid Zordon's keycards into his sleeve before making his way over to the bar. He could see Darkonda watching him as he walked past him and smirked as the creature stood from his seat to join him.

"My, my, you're quite a skilled player." Darkonda said as he slapped Andros hard on the back. "And here I was thinking I was the only one with talent in this hell hole."

"Not upset are you?" Andros asked, not bothering to look in Darkonda's direction.

"Nah, just a little surprised. So, I've never seen you around here before, and no one else seems to know who you are either. Do you have a name?"

"I don't go giving my name to those whose business it doesn't concern." Andros replied sharply. "I am just a traveler. I hail from the planet Jenovore."

"Jenovore? Interesting, you come from the same planet as the illusionist Malik."

Andros nodded. "He is my mentor. Although my powers aren't nearly as developed as his, I am still not one to be taken lightly."

"A skilled card player, a fighter, and one hell of a badass attitude. You're alright. Hey bartender! Two Onyx Specials for me and my new friend."

Darkonda took a seat in the empty barstool beside Andros just as the bartender set two smoking urns in front of them. Andros grabbed the glass and lifted it up to his nose to give it a good whiff. In spite of its horrid appearance, it didn't smell sickly; so taking a deep breath, he took a quick sip. His head began spinning immediately and his throat burned as the liquid made its way down. It was a strong liquor, that was for sure. Ignoring the pain his stomach was now in, he set the glass down before folding his hands on the bar top while Darkonda took a swig from his own urn.

"You know, I'd be willing to pay you quite a sum of cash for those keycards." Darkonda spoke as soon as he set his glass down on the bar top. "After all, what use could they be to you anyway?"

"I need them for information." Andros said.

Darkonda leaned towards him in interest. "Information you say? Well, then today's your lucky day boy. I have been everywhere in this entire galaxy and know many things. You can call me an encyclopedia of sorts."

"I'm sure you can't help me gather the information I need. I'll just take these key cards with me on my travels. I'm sure they'll be of value to someone and get me the information I need."

"Don't turn me away like some commoner." Darkonda growled. "I might just have the information you seek. Tell me, what are you after boy?"

"I need some information about KO-35." Andros said as he glanced in Darkonda's direction to see his reaction.

The creature's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing, his rotting teeth picking through his coal-black lips.

"Why, it's in the Karova System, and I know that galaxy better than anyone. I used to do quite a bit of work there a while back."

"Perhaps we can make a deal then." Andros said as he slid Zordon's keycards out his sleeves and slid them across the bar top towards Darkonda. The creature snatched them up, a look of relief on his face as he counted them to make sure they were all present before turning back to his cloaked companion.

"The place has been abandoned for almost two years no thanks to Astronema's ultimate attack. She killed the Astro Power Rangers and the Grand Elder before claiming victory in the name of Dark Specter. Before that however, the planet was a peaceful colony where the people held great technological knowledge and had telekinetic skills. It was one of the only thirty planets in the entire universe where humans are the main populous. Before it was abandoned, I did a little job there."

"Oh?" Andros asked as he leaned closer to him. "What business would you possibly have on a planet of humans?"

Darkonda threw his head back as a proud laugh clawed its way out his throat, causing Andros's blood to boil.

"I did a little favor for an old buddy of mine. You see, I kidnapped a little girl."

Andros sat upright and clenched his fists tightly together. His face felt hot and his heart was thumping hard inside his chest. He could feel the walls closing in around him as everyone else present in the tavern faded away into darkness and only he and Ecliptor remained in the stoic silence of his mind. His eyes moved in Darkonda's direction slowly as the creature's laughter died down.

"She was a special Karovian girl who was extremely rare amongst her kind. In fact, only one Karovian like her is born every two-hundred years."

Andros's eyes narrowed as he mentally questioned Darkonda's words. He took a deep breath, choosing his next words carefully.

"What was so special about her? Did she not possess the intellect or telekinetic abilities like the rest of her people?"

"That's not it at all." Darkonda said with a sadistic grin. "She was born with a special gene that gave her special powers like those of the sorceresses of Eltar. The powers can be destructive and even deadly if their user doesn't properly learn how to control them. When a child on KO-35 was born with such powers, their abilities were kept a secret by the Grand Elder and his councilmen; and the child's powers were stripped away from them at the age of ten before they could begin to develop naturally on their own. I was hired to kidnap the girl for a friend of mine so he could use her powers to his advantage."

"And…what became of the girl?" Andros inquired. "Did he…kill her once he'd gotten what he needed?"

"Nah, she's still alive and well." Darkonda said as the cloaked figure stood from his stool, his back facing him. "You won't believe where she is now. She's made quite a name for herself throughout the evil alliance."

Darkonda paused his information session suddenly and Andros raised an eyebrow as he felt Darkonda's gaze boring holes into his back.

"Tell me why you're suddenly interested in the girl I kidnapped." He spoke suddenly.

"It's simple really…" Andros replied as he quickly scrambled his brain for some sort of answer. "I am in search of a strong power source and needed to know the extent of her powers. I thought she might be of service to me."

"No, that's not it. In fact, I feel like this is more of a personal inquisition. What do you think Red Ranger!"

Andros was surprised when Darkonda grabbed the hood of his cloak, pulling it back to reveal his civilian form. Darkonda wasted no time summoning his sword and took a swing at Andros who side stepped quickly to avoid being struck by the blade. The other villains and creatures present in the bar were angered at having their threshold infiltrated by a sworn enemy and quickly ran to take a swing at him. Andros snatched the sword from an approaching villain's holster and raise it up in the air to block Darkonda's oncoming blade as the creature took another swing at him. After kicking him in the stomach, he ran quickly and jumped onto the bar top before making a run towards the exit. Urns filled with liquor fell over the bar, crashing against the floor and oozing liquid onto the floor boards as Andros leaped over extended blades that were coming for his feet.

"Stop him!" he heard Darkonda yell angrily from behind him as he jumped off the edge of the bar and did a front somersault over the heads of a few bounty hunters standing at the end of the bar. They did their best to grab him, but Andros elbowed them both in the chest before breaking into a sprint and running through the saloon doors. Just before he could summon his Galaxy Glider, he was tackled to the ground by Darkonda who had chased after him.

The two of them rolled across the dirt-covered ground before skidding to a stop in the middle of the street where several onlookers were watching, yelling for Darkonda to kill the Red Ranger. Andros took hold of the borrowed sword he'd snatched inside just in time to block Darkonda's blade as he brought it down in a slicing motion, prepared to cut him in half. The two blades clashed together with such a force, that they both sparked from the impact.

"Where is Karone?" Andros yelled as he jumped back onto his feet and swung at Darkonda who side-stepped away from the extended blade. "What did you do with her? Who ordered you to capture her!"

"Like I'll ever tell you!" Darkonda growled angrily. "You'll die before you ever get the chance to know."

Andros spotted Zordon's key cards sticking out of a pouch that was tied to the side of Darkonda's armor. Taking a deep breath, he ducked and rolled just as Darkonda was taking another swing at him and snatched the key cards from the pouch before rolling back onto his feet.

"Give them back!" Darkonda yelled as he chased after Andros who had broken out into a full sprint. Andros looked over his shoulder before throwing his sword at full force towards Darkonda who had no other choice than to duck.

"Galaxy Glider, Hang Ten!" he shouted as he extended his hand towards the sky. The red board appeared in five seconds flat as the sound of Darkonda hollering at a group of Quantrons to go after him could be heard behind him. Andros jumped up and did a front flip before morphing into his Red Ranger suit and landing on the board.

Just as he took off from the ground, several lasers were being shot at him from all directions. He began to rock side to side on the board, doing his best to avoid the purple lasers being shot off from the firearms surrounding him as he flew higher and higher into the sky. He smiled, realizing that he was in the clear, and looked over his shoulder at the sight of Darkonda shouting after him and shaking his fist in anger.

"Back to the Megaship." He said as he took a deep breath before leaning forward on his Galaxy Glider.

* * *

TJ and the other rangers were busy inserting their latest travel log data into the Megaship's mainframe when Andros walked onto to the bridge, his eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"There you are." TJ said. "Where've you been man? We've been trying to reach you."

"Yeah, are you okay?" Ashley asked with worry, her minds turning to how ill and shaken he'd been last she'd seen him. He brushed past the two of them and took a deep breath before reaching into the jacket of his Astro Ranger uniform and pulling out the stolen keycards.

"Never mind where I went. It's not important. What is important is that I ran into Darkonda during my little excursion and I managed to find these."

"What are they?" Cassie asked as he held them up for her and the others to see.

"Zordon's keycards, at least that's what Darkonda claimed they were." Andros responded, earning surprised and shocked looks from his four teammates. "Alpha, I need you to scan these as soon as possible and collect any information you can from their data receivers."

"You've got it Andros." Alpha said as he took the keycards from Andros's extended hand and headed over to the main computer to insert the cards.

Andros took a shaky breath before running his hands over his face and going to take a seat in his chair. The others followed after him, Ashley taking her seat beside him before leaning over and resting a hand on his back.

"Andros, where were you?" she questioned him. "You know how we feel about you going off alone, especially after the incident on KO-35 with Ecliptor. Remember, when he nearly killed Carlos?"

Andros looked up and met her worried gaze. With a heavy sigh he sat upright before turning around in his chair to face all of his teammates together.

"I went to Onyx. It's a planet a little way from here where most of the galaxy's most dangerous villains go for gatherings."

"Why in the world would you go there, and alone for that matter?" Carlos questioned him as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I re-watched my father's footage of my sister's kidnapping. I have watched that recording hundreds of times and couldn't for the life of me figure out who took her; but when I re-watched the recording this morning, I recognized the voice of her captor."

 **"Incoming transmission."** D.E.C.A. spoke up suddenly, interrupting Andros's explanation.

Just then, an image of Darkonda appeared on the viewing screen, shocking the Red Rangers.

 _"Did you honestly think I would let you get away with those key cards you little brat?"_ Darkonda snarled, his nostrils flaring in anger. _"You may have gotten a lot of information out of me back at the tavern Red Ranger, but there is still one bit of information that I bet you're dying to know. If you want to know what happened to your sister, you'll meet me on the planet Hercuron with Zordon's keycards. I'll be waiting!"_

The image quickly faded away, leaving the rangers stunned. Ashley's lips moved at least eight times before she finally found her voice again. She then turned to look at Andros.

"Darkonda knows what happened to your sister?" she asked slowly, making sure she'd heard the transmission right.

"He doesn't just know what happened." Andros said as his eyes narrowed in anger. "He's the one who took her from me in the first place."

"No way." Cassie said. "That can't be."

"It's _true_." Andros said. "Now that I know what Darkonda sounds like, I was able to put two and two together when I went back and watched the video footage. So I went to Onyx in hopes that Darkonda might be there or I could find a lead on his whereabouts. Thankfully, the bastard was there throwing away money and information left and right just to hold onto Zordon's keycards."

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! Rangers, these keycards are the real deal!" Alpha exclaimed as he removed them from the mainframe's scanners.

Andros stood from his seat before snatching the keycards out of Alpha's hand.

"If these are the real deal, then Darkonda will be more than willing to tell me what it is I want to know to get them back. I'm going to Hercuron."

"We're coming with you." TJ said as he and the others ran after him."

The rangers all knew how important it was to the Red Ranger to find his sister; and now that Andros had found the culprit in her kidnapping, there was nothing stopping him from killing Darkonda just to learn what he had waited to know for his whole life. Where was this missing twin sister of Andros's and what became of her?

* * *

Darkonda stood out in the center of an open field of Hercuron, his arms folded over his chest as he drummed his fingers against his arm impatiently. He had really screwed up by allowing Zordon's keycards to fall into Andros's hands; and if he didn't get them back, he knew Dark Specter would have his head. After all, his master had no idea that he had swiped the keycards from Zordon's tube while the Eltarian was being held captive on Hercuron; and should the Astro Rangers steal any of their information, he was in for a hell's worth of trouble.

The sound of the rangers' Galaxy Gliders approaching could be heard overhead, and the bounty hunter raised his head towards the blue sky overhead as five multicolored figures came into view. The rangers closed in on him and leaped off their boards, landing in front of him and raising their hands in defense.

"It's about time you showed up." He growled angrily. "Now, give me the keycards."

"Tell me where Karone is first and maybe I'll consider your offer." Andros snapped.

"Not a chance."

"Then I guess we'll have to _beat_ the answer out of you!"

"Sure thing. Just let me take this newly acquired strength potion first."

The rangers gasped as Darkonda raised his hand, a vial of fluorescent green liquid inside. He popped the cork off the top before tossing his head back and downing it in one gulp before tossing it to the ground. Suddenly, he began to tremor as maniacal laughter escaped his lips. Yellow electricity suddenly swam around his body, cracking loudly like lightning striking the ground as he held his arms out to his sides. The rangers took a step back fearfully as they felt the power oozing off of their opponent.

"Stand your ground." Andros commanded as he and the others braced themselves for an attack; but Darkonda surprised them as he ran towards them before dissolving into a burst of yellow light that swam around them, striking them with enough force that they all fell to the ground.

The pain was unreal, almost like they were being stung hundreds of times by a swarm of bees, and the force behind it was even worse; but the rangers stood to their feet, prepared to take out Darkonda by any means necessary. Just before Andros could give the command for them to summon their Power Weapons, Darkonda rematerialized a few feet in front of them and outstretched his hands, zapping them with another electrical attack. The rangers' suits spat off sparks and began to smoke from the intensity of the attack. Andros could feel the power of his suit struggling to stay intact and was immediately worried for his friends'. The suits wouldn't be able to take too much more of an electrical shock before they'd give way, and he knew none of them would survive in their civilian forms.

"Lights out!" Darkonda shouted as he summoned his sword and charged toward Cassie, slicing her clear across the front of her suit. Cassie cried out as she fell to the ground, her suit sparking as she wrapped her arms around her torso where a bleeding wound began to form beneath her suit. Tears stung at the corner of her eyes and she whimpered, doing her best not to cry out as she peeked through half closed eyelids at the rest of her friends.

TJ was struck down and sent rolling across the pavement towards her. When she saw no movement coming from him, a scream tore its way through her throat. She yelled for him, her voice pleading for the Blue Ranger to respond, but he said nothing as he continued to lie on the ground. She looked towards the rest of her friends and was horrified by the sight of Darkonda using one of the chains from his suit as an electric whip of sorts as he struck Carlos and Ashley. Ashley fell to the ground beside TJ and curled up in a ball, her body convulsing from the electric metallic shock while Darkonda's chain wrapped tightly around Carlos's torso and swung him up into the air before slamming his body down to the ground like a rag doll.

"He's too strong…" she said through gritted teeth as she tried to crawl towards TJ; but the pain in her abdomen was too strong and she cried out before curling into the fetal position, pressing her hands firmly against the wound. She could feel the power of her suit starting to give way and prayed that it would hold on a little longer, knowing that the minute its power left, she would feel the full force of her wounds.

Andros's anger intensified at the sight of his teammates injured and lying helpless on the ground.

"You'll pay for this Darkonda!" he shouted. "Spiral Saber!"

Andros raised his hands up towards the sky as his Power Weapon materialized in his hands before he charged at his enemy. Darkonda blocked each swing from the Spiral Saber with ease, his maniacal laughter echoing through Andros's ears and causing the Red Ranger's blood to boil even more. The sound of their weapons clanking against each other could be heard throughout the field.

Carlos weakly sat up, determined to help the Red Ranger, but before he could summon the Lunar Lance, Andros was thrown back by a strong electric blast and sent rolling across the field before he slammed into a tree. Fear took over his whole body and a lump formed in his throat as Darkonda made eye contact with him; but just before the bounty hunter could deliver a finishing blow, blue electricity began to spark off his body as he cried out in pain.

"What is this?" he shouted as his body began to convulse. Carlos had to resist the urge to vomit as Darkonda began to ooze from every part of his body, the green slime splattering in the grass surrounding him as he dropped his sword. He continued to groan in pain as he stumbled back away from the rangers and raised his hands up to where he could see them better. His vision was swimming and he felt as though his insides were melting.

"The potion." He growled angrily as realization suddenly hit him, his thoughts turning back to Selman's muffled conversation with his apprentice back at the tavern. "It must have been tampered with. Who would _dare_ do this to me?"

"The pleasure was all mine." Ecliptor said as he stepped out of the foliage, making his presence known.

"Ecliptor...? You bastard, I'll kill you for this!" Darkonda roared. "You dare try and get the upper hand on me?"

"You talk too much." Ecliptor stated matter of factly. "Had I kept you around any longer, you would ruin everything for me and Astronema. You claimed you could be of use to us, but you're nothing but a nuisance."

"You did this to me!" Darkonda growled back. "I was taking care of business for Astronema, just as I promised her. I told her I had a way of getting rid of the Red Ranger for good and _you_ just had to come along and ruin my plans of obtaining a strength potion to do it. Just wait until she learns of your treachery and your interference in our plans."

"I can take the heat Darkonda; but can you?"

With that being said, Ecliptor disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the slowly dissolving Darkonda on his own.

"You think you've won Ecliptor; but I'm not beaten yet!"

Darkonda raised his hands towards the sky, and shocked Carlos as he grew without the help of Astronema's green Satalasers.

"You guys…" he said through gritted teeth as he sat up. "You guys, we have to do something!"

Cassie hissed as she sat up, ignoring her pain as she nodded. "The Astro Megazord. It's our only hope."

"Cassie's right." Andros replied as he stood to his feet and stumbled towards his friends. "We have to take him out. Maybe the blaster will do the trick."

Cassie was relieved when TJ stirred and sat up slowly with the help of Ashley. The two of them nodded in response as they all stood to their feet, sparing a glance at Darkonda.

"We need Astro Megazord Power, now!" TJ, Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley shouted.

"Delta Megazord, online!" Andros shouted as he summoned their extra Zord with the use of his Battleizer.

"Hang tight guys." Andros said. "We're not down for the count yet."

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. I have to end on a cliff hanger or we'll end up dipping right into the Mega Voyager episode hehehe**

 **Any who, leave me a review! The next chapter should be posted soon. See ya next time guys!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	18. The Rangers' Mega Voyage

**A/N:** **Hey guys; I'm back with the next chapter. I've had Influenza A for the past six days and I've been under quarantine; so that's given me plenty of time to write and watch TV of course lol**

 **So I hope you guys enjoy this update; because it was seriously the highlight of my stay at the hospital. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)….Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)….Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…...Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space**_ **. It was created by Haim Saban and is based off of Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in the plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **The Rangers Mega Voyage"**_

Andros and the other Astro Rangers couldn't believe the mess they'd gotten themselves into. One minute, Darkonda had been administering the beating of a life time thanks to a strength-enhancing serum. Then the next, the creature had basically begun to fry from the inside out. His potion had been tampered with from what they could tell; and though they thought themselves to be victorious, they were horribly wrong.

Now, Darkonda stood, towering over the forest of the planet Hercuron while the rangers watched in horror from below. Thankfully, the populous of Hercuron was nowhere near the rangers' current location. So they would be able to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. Still, the rangers had taken quite a bit of damage from Darkonda's attacks, and would be fighting at half their normal strength.

Carlos looked up at Darkonda who was growling angrily above him and the others, a giant prepared to squash his prey.

"You guys, we have to do something." He said through gritted teeth as he sat up, ignoring the strain being put on his injuries.

Cassie also sat up, a hiss spewing through her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut. "The Astro Megazord…it's our only hope."

"Cassie's right." Andros replied as he stood to his feet and stumbled over to his friends. "We have to take him out quickly. The Zord's blaster ought to do the trick."

TJ stirred from unconsciousness, much to Cassie's relief and sat up slowly with the help of Ashley. The two of them nodded to their leader in agreement as they, and the others stood their ground and faced Darkonda who was laughing maniacally, the sound like boisterous thunder.

"We need Astro Megazord Power, now!" TJ, Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley shouted as they swung their right arms in a synchronized motion before extending their palms towards the sky.

Andros held his Battleizer up and pressed the Delta Megazord's button before moving his arm in a similar motion to his teammates. "Delta Megazord, online!"

The Delta Megazord and Astro Megazord made their descent from the sky before landing in front of Darkonda. Andros wasted no time ordering both of the Zords to combine before commanding his teammates to teleport onboard the newly formed Megazord.

Once inside the cockpit, the rangers hurried to their seats, panting from exhaustion as they strapped themselves in and powered on their control consoles.

"Hang tight guys." Andros said as he grabbed onto the main controls. "We're not down for the count yet. Let's show Darkonda what we're made of."

The rangers guided the Megazord so it was standing just a few feet in front of Darkonda, before commanding the Megazord to raise its arms in defense. Much to the rangers' surprise, Darkonda was thrashing around wildly while firing off ocular beams in any which direction. His focus was averted from the rangers as he struggled with the poison that was continuing to spread through his body.

"He's gone mad." TJ said, worry coating his words.

"That's the understatement of the century." Cassie said as she nodded in agreement. "It looks like the poison hasn't completely worked its way through his system yet."

Darkonda suddenly began to spin in circles, his ocular beams striking the forest and foliage beneath them, causing flames and smoke to spill into the air.

"He's heading right towards us." Andros said as he spied the orange and black-shelled mutant charging towards them like an enraged bull.

Two blades materialized in Darkonda's hands as he ran at the Astro Delta Megazord. He swung his right arm down first, striking the Megazord across the "M" on its chest before swinging his left arm and striking the Megazord's left shoulder, just beneath one of its automated cannons. The Megazord began to spit off sparks and smoke while the rangers inside its protective cabin were thrashed about like rag dolls. Darkonda growled angrily before striking them again, showing them no mercy as he dealt one blow, then another, then another, before kicking the Megazord with his foot, sending it toppling onto the ground.

The rangers groaned from inside the cockpit as they the commanded their Megazord to get back onto its feet. Alarms were blaring all around them while D.E.C.A. announced how many vital engines had taken damage during the attack.

"We need to gain some distance." Andros shouted over the alarms. "Even though his potion was tampered with, it's obvious that the strength effects are still in effect. We can't afford to take too many more hits like that, or we could risk losing both Zords."

"Right." The others agreed as they began to siphon spare energy from the Megaship's engine to give the Megazord more power.

The Megazord stood to its feet and used its boosters to take flight long enough for it to gain quite a bit of distance from Darkonda who was once again thrashing about wildly.

"Flying Power Punch!" Andros commanded as the others prepared their controls. After inserting the command into his Battleizer, the Astro Delta Megazord raised both its arms out in front of him before both of its robotic fists disconnected like missiles before charging towards Darkonda at an accelerated speed; but before the fists could strike Darkonda, he surprised the rangers by raising both of his swords in front of him like a shield. He then sent the fists flying back towards the Astro Delta Megazord, getting a direct hit.

The lights inside the cockpit flashed off before flashing back on while smoke began to pour through the ventilation system.

"Damage report?" Andros asked Cassie whose fingers were sliding across the touch screen monitor beside her.

"The Megazord's power is failing." She growled angrily. "The energy we were siphoning from the Megaship's engine is used up. If we use any more, the Megaship will be out of commission for weeks!"

"All of our defense systems are offline!" Ashley shouted as she did her best to bring them back up; but much to her disappointment, an error message kept appearing onscreen no matter what kind of command she tried to give. "We're like sitting ducks!"

Before Andros could respond, Darkonda fired an onslaught of ocular beams at the Megaship, causing even more damage than what had already been done. The rangers shielded their faces as their control panels began to spark. Suddenly, the lights flickered off and the backup generator started, filling the cockpit with a dim, red light.

"The Megazord's power is failing." Cassie said. "We have no more energy to give. We're down to fifteen percent. At this point, all we can do is fly, if we borrow energy from the Megaship's thrusters."

"We have to retreat." Andros said as panic tightened his chest.

"We can't retreat now." Carlos said as he spared a glance to Cassie. "Try siphoning power from somewhere else."

"There's none left." Cassie said frantically. "We could try loading the saber?"

"No." TJ said, shutting her idea down immediately. "He is way too strong for that. The backlash from the saber being destroyed could destroy us."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Ashley said as she slammed her fist down on the console.

Andros began racking his brain for some sort of answer. "I've got it. Everyone, transfer all of our remaining energy to the main converter. It should develop an energy cyclone big enough to do significant damage."

Darkonda fired another blast at the Megaship, causing an electric shock wave to surge through it. The Megazord stumbled as it too began to thrash about wildly. The damage being done was becoming too much to handle and it wouldn't be long before the machine gave way.

"I have nothing left." Ashley cried out frantically as she looked towards Andros who was making preparations.

"Sending all auxiliary power." TJ said as he finished siphoning away his remaining energy.

"Andros, this is insane." Carlos said as he tried to reason with the Red Ranger. "If we thrust out the remaining energy, we could lose our Megazord."

"I don't care." Andros shouted. "Do it now Carlos. We have no other options."

Carlos took a deep breath before nodding, pushing his doubts aside to trust his leader. Just then, Darkonda struck the Megazord using his swords again; but before he could deal a second blow Andros started up a cyclone attack, having gathered enough energy. The Megazord began to spin in place, going faster as a wall of fire built up around it. When its spinning stopped, the fire shot off the Astro Delta Megazord like a rocket into the sky before spiraling back down and slamming into Darkonda. A loud, bright explosion filled the area and the Astro Delta Megazord stumbled back as Darkonda was caught up in the explosion. He slammed to the ground, disappearing in the fiery blaze while the rangers cheered.

The rangers' cheering was short lived however as much to their horror, Darkonda stood up, emerging from the aftermath of the explosion.

"I don't believe this." Ashley said, her voice shaking. "He's back up."

"But how?" Cassie said as she shook her head. "That attack should have destroyed him. He should be dead!"

"Surprised to see me?" Darkonda shouted before laughing maniacally. The rangers noticed that he was no longer in pain; and much to their surprise, a second monster had materialized right beside him. The monster looked as though it had an enlarged squid for a head – yellow eyes and an abstract red shape at its middle, while it had the body build of Darkonda. The creature was a pale white, blue, and red and looked even more menacing than Darkonda. To top it off, it had two enlarged pinchers for hands as it laughed, the sound almost like the creature had water clogged in its throat.

"Where did that monster come from?" Ashley asked.

"I think it's a manifestation of the poison that was in Darkonda's body." Andros said. "It possibly could have combined with some of Darkonda's cells to form the creature we're seeing."

"Well whatever that thing is, it looks like it and Darkonda are both about to fire." TJ said.

"Brace yourselves." Andros shouted. "We have nothing left to attack with. It's our only option at this point."

Just as TJ predicted, both Darkonda and the new mutant began to fire energy beams at the Megazord, getting direct hits while the rangers were trashed about on the inside of the cockpit. The new mutant then charged towards the Megazord before grabbing from behind and restraining it while Darkonda slashed it using his swords. The new mutant then used a new tactic, electrocuting the Megazord within its hold before tossing it carelessly to the side. The Astro Delta Megazord skidded through the Hercuron forest before coming to a complete stop and powering off.

"We're out of power." Cassie realized. "We're done for. What are we gonna do?"

 **" _Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi Rangers."_** Alpha's voice came over the intercom. **_"I've managed to do a full examination of the key cards that Andros won from Darkonda."_**

"That's great Alpha." Carlos spoke up. "Please tell us it told you something useful that could get us out of this mess."

 _ **"** **These key cards did in fact belong to Zordon. More importantly, they contained information that was encrypted by the previous Alpha robot, Alpha 5. The information revealed that Zordon and Alpha 5 created a massive weapon and stored it on one of Jupiter's moons. It was originally intended to be used by the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers before their powers were completely destroyed by Master Vile."**_

"That's incredible." Cassie said. "And no one knows about this weapon's location?"

 ** _"It can be assumed that Darkonda, and possibly Astronema, know of this weapon's location because these key cards were within their possession; but the key cards were encoded and locked with a special encryption that I am certain they were not able to crack. So even if they know the weapon's location, they don't know exactly what it is or how to access it."_**

"That's awesome Alpha." Andros said, excitement building in his chest. "It couldn't have come at a better time either. It's our only chance at stopping Darkonda."

"Looks like we have just enough power to pursue it." Cassie said.

"Separate the Zords, now." Andros commanded as he and the others began to take the proper steps to dismantle the Zords. "It looks like the Delta Megazord has just enough energy to get us to Jupiter. We'll have to leave the Astro Megazord behind. Alpha, do you think you can repair some of the Megaship's shields to withstand the damage?"

 ** _"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! There isn't much energy to work with Andros; but I'll do my best to keep those goons from destroying our ship. Sending over key cards now."_**

Ashley looked to her left where a transfer tube was located. A strange whooshing sound could be heard as the key cards were sucked through the tube. She smiled when they plopped into the bottom before she reached in to grab them.

"Let's go." Andros commanded as he unstrapped himself. The others did the same before following Andros through the back door of the cockpit and into the even smaller cockpit of the Delta Megazord.

"It's going to be a tight squeeze." Andros said as D.E.C.A. announced that both Zords at been disengaged. "But it's going to have to do for now."

* * *

Astronema strutted into the control room of the Dark Fortress, her black and silver hair illuminated by the overhead lights, as she approached Elgar and the viewing screen.

"This had better be important Elgar." She growled angrily. "I was in the middle of a meeting with Dark Specter and the intergalactic Dark Council. You know how much Dark Specter hates to have us miss out on these meetings."

"I know boss lady." Elgar's hoarse voice came out nervously. "I just thought you'd like to see what our new friend Darkonda has been up to."

Astronema raised an eyebrow, but before she could respond, the sliding doors flew open as Ecliptor marched into the room.

"My princess, I have terrible news on Darkonda's whereabouts."

"So I've heard." Astronema said slowly as she turned towards the viewing screen. She was more than surprised to see images of Darkonda battling the Astro Rangers, before growing into a giant mutant form and attacking the Astro Delta Megazord mercilessly.

"What the hell does he think he's doing?" she demanded to know as she shot Ecliptor a glare. "I thought he was working on a plan to take down the Red Ranger. I didn't authorize this attack."

"I figured as much." Ecliptor said. "I was on the planet Onyx doing research on Zordon's missing key cards. We know that the Phantom Ranger made off with a majority of them during Zordon's captivity in the Karova System, but there was a set of keycards that weren't accounted for. A little birdie let it slip that Darkonda made off with the keycards that the Phantom Ranger didn't take, so I went to Onyx searching for him."

"And what happened?" Astronema asked, inquiring more about her guardian's previous venture.

"The Red Ranger was in disguise and won the key cards that Darkonda had and made off with them. Obviously, Darkonda went after the rangers on his own to get the key cards back before you could learn of his blunder."

"Uh, boss lady. The rangers are leaving Hercuron!" Elgar spoke up suddenly.

"What?" Astronema and Ecliptor said in unison as they turned their attention to the viewing screen. Sure enough, the Delta Megazord had taken flight and was leaving Hercuron's orbit while the Astro Megazord stayed behind to battle with the two mutants.

"Why would they abandon their Megazord and head into space?" Astronema wondered.

"Perhaps it has to do with Zordon's key cards?" Ecliptor suggested. "Remember, the last time this happened, the rangers found the Delta Megazord. Perhaps they've gained access to a new weapon."

"I will not let that happen." Astronema said as she closed her eyes to set up a mental link with Darkonda. "Darkonda, send that second mutant after the rangers. I will forgive your latest blunder if you manage to prevent them from doing whatever it is they intend to do."

Astronema spun on her heels before storming out of the room with Ecliptor in tow.

"What is it that you intend to do my princess?" Ecliptor asked as he sensed the anger radiating off his daughter.

"I'm going to get my battle gear and go after those rangers myself." She growled angrily. "If that mutant does succeed in destroying the Delta Megazord, I'll be there to deliver the finishing blow to those Power Rangers."

* * *

The Delta Megazord Shuttle made its way through space, its engines running at full capacity as it traveled via Hyper Rush 9. At this rate, they were bound to reach the Milky Way Galaxy in under twenty minutes, and to Jupiter's moon in an extra ten.

The Astro Rangers rode in silence as they did their best to tend to each other's wounds. Darkonda had done some serious damage; and now that their adrenaline was wearing off, they were starting to feel the real damage. Andros had ordered for everyone to power down and patch themselves up before they reached Jupiter. They had a feeling that Astronema was more than aware of their venture off of Hercuron and she would undoubtedly be sending reinforcements after them.

Cassie was currently sitting on a countertop in the cramped space while Carlos wrapped gauze and several layers of bandages around her torso. She would hiss every now and again as the fabric pressed against the gash in her torso. Thankfully, her suit had taken on most of the damage, so the gash wasn't that deep; but Carlos still had to clean and wrap it or she'd risk getting an infection. TJ had his head bandaged up after taking a blow to the head earlier, while Carlos, Andros, and Ashley had a few bandages here and there. They had suffered the least amount of damage during the attack.

Once Carlos finished tying off Cassie's wounds, she smiled gratefully before he helped her down from the counter.

"What do you think this mystery weapon is?" she spoke suddenly, her voice causing everyone to flinch.

"I don't know." Andros spoke quietly. "Alpha never specified what this weapon was."

"It was made for the original Power Rangers." TJ said, recalling Alpha's words. "I wonder if Tommy or the others even know that it exists."

"I doubt it." Carlos spoke up. "Alpha said that the original Alpha and Zordon hid the weapon on the moon right before Master Vile destroyed the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers' powers. As I recall, the rangers were turned into children right around that time and were sent on the hunt for the Zeo Crystal. With the new powers they gained from the Zeo Crystal, they also gained new Zords, therefore, the weapon probably was kept in storage just in case of emergencies."

"It's probably another set of Zords that we can use to form a new Megazord." Cassie suggested. "The Zords are our strongest weapons and they are needed even more than our individual Power Weapons."

A loud, frantic beep suddenly began to sound off in the cockpit, putting the rangers on full alert. Ashley turned to the navigation system beside her and was stunned at the sight of something coming up onscreen.

"Guys, there's something coming up behind us." She said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Everybody, hang on." Andros instructed as he braced himself against one of the control panels. The others did as they were told, finding anything they could to hold onto while the unidentified object slammed into the back of the Delta Megazord Shuttle. The rangers stumbled from the impact, but managed to stay on their feet.

"What the hell is that?" Cassie wondered as Andros scrambled to pull a visual up. His eyes widened when the shuttle's visual sensors pulled up an image of the poison mutant latched onto the shuttle.

"It's the creature from Hercuron." He declared. "It's got us caught in his mouth. TJ, fire the afterburners. They should help us get loose."

"I'm on it." TJ said as he turned to the control panel behind him and quickly typed in the command. The rangers turned their attention to the viewing screen and cheered as the afterburners kicked into high gear, singing the creature's tentacle-shaped lips, causing it to release them. The creature began to tumble freely through the vast void of space as the Delta Megazord Shuttle sped onward.

"Jupiter, here we come." Andros said.

* * *

Nearly half-an-hour after escaping from their mutant pursuer, the rangers finally found themselves entering Jupiter's orbit.

"Starting scan for legendary Power Weapon." TJ announced as he set up the proper programming. "D.E.C.A., have you found anything?"

 _" **Legendary Power Weapon has been located."**_ D.E.C.A. responded immediately. _**"Now beginning automatic navigation to moon: Callisto."**_

"Let's Rock It!" Andros instructed his teammates as they all morphed back into their power suits. The rangers then watched the viewing screen as D.E.C.A. guided the shuttle onto the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto. The moon was a pale brown and purplish color with white specks covering it; and the closer the shuttle flew to the surface, they could see several mountainous structures and deep craters covering its surface. Jupiter could be seen up in the sky, a large glowing, orange orb that looked like a sun as the shuttle made its way towards one of the largest mountainous structures on the planet's surface.

The rangers were surprised when an opening appeared on the side of the mountain, allowing the rangers to enter inside a metal shaft where words written in a foreign font could be seen scribbled on the walls.

"What does it mean?" Ashley wondered aloud.

"The words are in Eltarian." Andros spoke up. "Zordon's native language."

"This must be the storage base of the weapon then." Carlos concluded as the shuttle suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

 _"_ ** _Shuttle now secure._ " **D.E.C.A. spoke up. _**"You may now exit the shuttle."**_

The rangers looked behind them as the door slid open, revealing a long corridor that was illuminated with neon blue lighting. They exchanged looks with one another before following Andros out the door. The hallway was very narrow and short with an opening at the very end. There was a ladder waiting for the rangers and they wasted no time climbing down. There were more writings in the Eltarian language painted along the walls as the rangers ran through in pursuit of this new weapon.

The rangers found themselves running into a giant warehouse of sorts where abandoned weapons and metals were strewn about. It almost reminded them of Alpha's old workshop in the former Command Center back on earth.

"Where is this weapon?" Carlos wondered.

"That way." Andros said as he pointed towards a set of closed doors up ahead. "The Eltarian writing on the wall beside it…it says Mega Voyager."

"Mega Voyager?" Ashley repeated.

"Sounds like a new Megazord to me." TJ said with a nod of his head. "Let's get going."

Just as the rangers prepared to make a run for the doors, several lights flashed around them as Astronema, Ecliptor, and an army of Quantrons materialized in the warehouse.

"Astronema." Cassie growled angrily.

Astronema smirked as she twisted a lock of hair around her finger, her other hand holding on tightly to her staff. She began to pace in front of the rangers who were watching her cautiously, knowing that the dark princess could strike at any moment.

"It would seem that you all have stolen the keycards that Darkonda previously possessed." She spoke, her voice echoing loudly in the spacious room. "Give them to me."

"No way." Andros said as he raised a fist at her. "They belong to Zordon and should never fall into the hands of evil."

"If you think I'm going to let you make off with this legendary weapon, you're wrong Red Ranger. I made a mistake of letting you run off with the Delta Megazord. I won't be letting you and your wannabe Space Rangers add any more ammunition to your artillery."

"Then you'll have to pry them from my cold, dead hands."

"Believe me Red Ranger, that can be arranged. Destroy them!"

The Quantrons sprang into action as soon as Astronema gave the command, each of them drawing their weapons as they moved to attack the rangers. Meanwhile, Astronema took a step back to watch the chaos unfold.

Ecliptor drew his sword before charging towards the Red Ranger. Andros gasped as he raised his hands, catching the sword by its hilt as he and Ecliptor began to push their weight against each other's. Andros knew he couldn't draw his Spiral Saber under these conditions, so he decided to rely on his physical strength until he could get a good opening. Ecliptor proved to be physically stronger however, and shoved the Red Ranger up against an abandoned weapon the resembled a larger version of the Red Galaxy Glider. Andros's back pressed against the object's surface to the point that he was lying down while Ecliptor made an attempt to turn the blade of his sword downward to stab the Red Ranger; but Andros thought quickly and kneed the general in the chest before kicking his sword out of his grasp.

Ecliptor growled angrily as he made a reach for his sword; but before he could grab it, Andros had summoned his Spiral Saber and slashed him across his back. Ecliptor cried out in pain as sparks shot off his back; but he pushed through the pain with rage before taking hold of his sword and swinging at the Red Ranger. Andros blocked the blade with the blade of his own saber, a loud metallic clank echoing off the walls in the midst of the chaos going on around them, before he and Ecliptor began to battle.

The other rangers did their best to hold up against Astronema's minions. Ashley found herself cornered, one of the Quantrons pushing their body up against hers to restrain her while another one came in to deal a finishing blow; but Cassie had her best friend's back and ran over, kicking the second one away long enough for Ashley to knee her captor in the chest.

TJ and Carlos were working together, double teaming a group of Quantrons while using the Lunar Lance and Astro Axe to fend off their weapons. The two of them were fairing pretty well in spite of their injuries, managing to take out ten in less than five minutes. Ashley and Cassie joined them soon after, the four of them working together to take down their opponents.

Meanwhile, Andros had managed to get the upper hand on Ecliptor, striking him across his chest and doing a significant amount of damage. Ecliptor dropped down on one knee as he grasped the newly formed wound on his chest while Andros took off running towards the sliding doors. There was an access hatch beside it with the Eltarian words Mega Voyager above it. Andros inserted the keycards in the hatch and smiled as a keypad emerged beneath it. He quickly typed in the same code he and the others used for their morphers and was pleased to find that the codes were both one and the same. The doors slid open, revealing another long hallway as a countdown started in the warehouse. The hatch spat the keycards back out and Andros snatched them up quickly.

"You guys, I cracked the code!" he shouted, getting the others' attention. "Move it. Hurry up!"

The others shoved their current opponents out of the way and ran towards the Red Ranger who was waiting for them.

"Don't let them get away you imbeciles!" Astronema shouted; but the Quantrons seemed to be lacking the necessary skills to stop the rangers from reaching Andros. The doors slid shut behind the rangers and Astronema could feel fury boiling in her chest. "After them now! Break the doors down!"

The rangers could hear Astronema shouting on the other side of the closed doors as they took a minute to catch their breath.

"We have to keep moving." TJ realized. "Astronema will use her powers to blast the door in, and she won't hesitate to kill us."

"I see another passageway up ahead." Ashley said as she pointed down the hall. "It should lead us to the new Zords."

"Lead the way." Andros said as he took held on tightly to the keycards.

Ashley nodded before running down the hall with the others in tow. The rangers passed by several rooms and Eltarian signs as they followed after Ashley who could see a green light up ahead.

"I think it's just a little bit further." She encouraged the others as she continued running; but just as they entered the room with the green light, Ashley found herself running into a railing and toppling over the top, weightlessness overcoming her. A scream tore its way through her throat and for a split second, she thought she was going to fall into the black abyss below; but a strong set of arms grabbed onto her wrist in the nick of time, stopping her screams and ending her descent. She looked up, her heart thumping loud in her chest as Andros stared down at her, his hands wrapped around her wrists. She could feel is telekinetic abilities helping him to hang onto her as she dangled over the ledge.

"Andros?" she said, finding her voice again.

"Don't worry." He said, relief in his voice. "I've got you."

Andros used his telekinesis to help him pull Ashley back over the top of the railing, before setting her down on the floor. Her right hand quickly moved to her chest as she took a deep breath and felt her heart pounding rapidly against her ribcage. She slowly lifted her head to meet Andros's helmet-covered gaze.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, worry in his voice.

"I-I'm fine." She stammered. "I'm sorry. I didn't know the hallway was going to stop so abruptly."

"You guys, take a look at this." Carlos said slowly. Andros helped Ashley onto her feet as they and the other rangers approached a circular pedestal in the center of the newly entered room. The pedestal reminded the former Turbo Rangers of the power transfer pedestal that had formerly been in the earth's Command Center. There were six lights on the pedestal that corresponded with the former rangers' colors – white, black, pink, blue, yellow, and red with the symbols of the original Power Coins engraved in a ring formation in the center of the pedestal.

"What is this thing?" Cassie wondered as she traced the engravings with her gloved fingertips. Suddenly, the room lit up. The green light grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the room in its green glow, with the exception of the six colored lights. Suddenly, an opening appeared in the center of the power coin rings as a small holographic projector appeared. The projector switched on and the rangers were surprised as a holographic image of an unknown human male appeared.

 _" **My name is Billy Cranston, and I am the Blue Power Ranger of the planet Earth."**_

"No way." Carlos said, his mouth agape. He had heard several stories about Billy from his mentor Carlos; but from what he'd heard, Billy had gone off to live on the planet Aquitar with one of the Alien Rangers Cestria after falling in love with her during her stay on earth. To his knowledge, the original Blue Ranger hadn't returned to earth since his departure for Aquitar two years ago.

 _" **If you are seeing this message, then you have been granted access to this hidden chamber by my mentor and leader, Zordon of Eltar. This would also mean that you currently the guardians of earth – the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. Zordon, Alpha 5, and I have worked together to create an incredibly powerful weapon to combat Rita and Zedd's evil forces. This weapon is to only be used should something happen to the Ninja Megazord or the Shogun Megazord."**_

The rangers' attention moved from the holographic image of Billy to a set of windows just behind the pedestal that suddenly lit up. They slowly approached the windows and were in awe of the sight of five new Zords in a docking bay of sorts. There were four Zords facing outward from a single Zord in the center that resembled a rocket ship of sort with blue and white coloring. Three of the Zords resembled miniature spaceships with pink, black, and yellow coloring; and the final Zord resembled a miniature red robot.

 _" **These are the Zords that combine to form the Mega Voyager."** Billy continued. **"They are extremely powerful and will be put to good use if left in the right hands. They are to be stored here on Jupiter's moon Callisto until they are needed for battle. Once they have been activated using Zordon's key cards, an undetectable and impenetrable force field will be formed around this base, disallowing evil forces to try and take the Zords for their own selfish use. Go forth now, and claim these Zords as your own and use them to stop evil in its tracks. May the power protect you."**_

The transmission suddenly ended, leaving the rangers in awe.

"Look at them." Cassie said admirably. "They're ginormous!"

"I've never seen anything like this before." Andros commented. "On KO-35, we never had individual Zords."

"Are we sure we can even use these Zords?" TJ said suddenly, causing the others to look at him. "I mean, you heard what Billy said in that transmission. These Zords were created for the original Power Rangers and their powers. Will we even have access to these Zords?"

"There's only one way to find out." Andros said as he held the key cards up like a makeshift fan. "Let's give it a try. We have to get back to Hercuron and stop Darkonda from destroying the Astro Megazord."

"Right." The others agreed as they ran towards the door on the opposite side of the room.

There was a set of metal stairs leading to a platform that wrapped around the large storage room where the Zords were being held. The rangers made their way towards the Zords, excitement building up in their chests in anticipation of being able to test out the powers of their latest weapon.

 _" **Mega V1, V2, V3, V4, and V5 online."**_ A robotic voice spoke through overhead speakers as the rangers neared the new Zords. A single bridge allowed the rangers access to an overhead walkway that stopped just above the Zords. There, five sliding poles were positioned that led down to the access hatches of each Zord.

"Well guys, time to give these bad boys a test run." TJ said as he took hold of the pole leading down to the blue V3 Zord. "Let's go."

The others nodded before grabbing onto their access poles and sliding down to the access hatches. Once on board, the rangers waited for Andros to insert the keycards into the access hatch of the V1 Megazord. When the machine immediately sprang to life, he pumped a fist in the air.

"It looks like Zordon's key cards give us access to the Zords in spite of us being a different set of rangers." He spoke through the Zord's communication link. "It looks like we're in business guys. Let's head back to Hercuron. Alpha's going to need our help."

"Right." The others responded as they powered up their vehicles.

An opening appeared in the ceiling above the Zords as the rangers fired up their thrusters and took flight into the abyss of space overhead.

* * *

Alpha frantically ran around the bridge of the Megaship, his little robotic arms frantically swinging back and forth as he did his best to defend the Astro Megazord from Darkonda; but his attempts weren't doing much good. The Megaship itself was beginning to fall apart due to the Zord's damage and he knew it was going to take a few weeks before the rangers could do any searching for Zordon. The ceiling tiles were starting to fall from above, cables and wires dangling like branches of ancient trees in a rain forest. Smoke was filling the room from fried sensors and D.E.C.A. had stopped responding, her system's power having been depleted. A quick visual screening of the engine room showed that the engine's cables had been separated and the engine was no longer glowing a bright, fluorescent orange. Needless to say, the little robot was completely screwed.

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi! What am I going to do? I need more power or the Astro Megazord will be gone for good! Oh rangers, please hurry!"

 _" **Don't worry Alpha."**_ Andros's voice suddenly appeared through the overhead communicators. _**"We're arriving at Hercuron now; and with a new Zord! We'll take care of Darkonda, don't worry."**_

Alpha quickly pulled a visual screen up and was elated to see the five new vehicles taking transformation into a new Megazord just outside of Hercuron's orbit. The Zord looked incredibly powerful, much larger than the Astro Delta Megazord; and to top it off, the V3 vehicle looked as though it could be used as a cannon.

"They did it!" Alpha exclaimed as he waved his arms about. "We might just come out of this battle victorious after all!"

* * *

Darkonda laughed maniacally as he wound his arm up and brought his sword down on the Astro Megazord. Much to his delight, the Zord toppled over, slamming into the forest beneath it; and this time, it didn't budge. Satisfied with his victory, he pumped a fist into the air and laughed in pride. Just then, the Mega Voyager descended from the sky and landed in front of him, a shield in hand as it began to walk in circles around Darkonda, waiting on him to make a move.

"My, my, so you're back rangers?" he said with a boisterous laugh. "Well, you're too late to save your precious Astro Megazord; but no worries. You're new toy will be joining it as a pile of scrap in the junkyard by the time I'm through with you."

The Mega Voyager raised its shield as it charged towards Darkonda, eager to finish the battle that had gone on long enough. Darkonda fired his ocular beams at the approaching robot, but the shield deflected the blasts as the Zord closed in. The Mega Voyager then kicked Darkonda hard in the chest, sending him rolling backwards and into the side of a large plateau. Before he could stand back up, the Mega Voyager used its boosters to give it some elevation as it jumped on top of Darkonda who was sprawled out on his back. He cried out in pain as the Zord jumped on him again, causing him to hack uncontrollably. Before the Zord could jump on him again, Darkonda rolled out of the way and back onto his feet. With an angry growl, he took the chain from his armor and threw it towards the Mega Voyager, wrapping it tightly within its grip.

"Come closer rangers!" he growled as he tugged on the chains; but instead of complying, the rangers used the Mega Voyager's thrusters to give them leverage in order to send a spinning kick to Darkonda's chest. The chain that had previously been holding onto the Mega Voyager fell to the ground as Darkonda held onto his wound.

"I'm seeing information in our arsenal about using the V3 vehicle as a missile." Ashley said as she read over the information being displayed on her screen.

"Sounds pretty powerful." TJ commented. "What do you say we give it a try?"

"Sounds good to me." Andros said as he grabbed his control gear and moved it in a Z formation. "Mega V3 Missile Mode, online!"

The V3 vehicle descended from its hiding place in the sky before landing in the Mega Voyager's hand. The giant Zord held the missile out towards Darkonda who stared in absolute horror as the missile began to grow a fiery red.

"Don't you dare!" he shouted as he raised an accusing finger; but the Mega Voyager had already launched the missile. The missile sped towards Darkonda, slamming into him with such a brute force that he exploded on impact, leaving nothing in his wake. The rangers cheered as they savored yet another victory.

* * *

Andros looked over the circuit boards sprawled out on the control panel in front of him while Carlos lie on his back beneath the ship's main control center with a screw driver. Ashley was busy using a small tool to reconnect the wiring in the ceiling, having to stand on a ladder to do so. His communicator beep and he sighed, tucking his long hair behind his ears before answering the call.

"This is Andros."

 _" **Andros, it's TJ. Cassie, Alpha, and I are finishing up down here in the engine room. It looks like the engine's circuits have to be totally reconfigured. It could take days, possibly even weeks."**_

Andros took a deep breath to calm himself. It looks like there was going to be a lot more work than he originally thought needed to be complete. Remember his and Carlos's checks, he decided to inform TJ of the rest of the Megaship's damage taken from Darkonda's onslaught.

"The scanning circuits are down too; and so are the Megaship's shields and scanners. We're going to be out of commission for a while."

 _" **On a lighter note, with the Mega Voyager within our arsenal, we'll no longer have to use the Astro Mega Zord in battle. It will save us from having to continuously repair the Megaship after battles."**_

"True." Andros responded as he ran a hand through his hair. "We also can rest easy knowing that the defense system around the Mega Voyager's storage space on Callisto can't be disturbed nor detected by Astronema's evil forces. Let's just hope she doesn't decide to attack before then. Contact me once you've gotten the engine back to full power. Andros, over and out."

Andros ended the communication link before looking towards D.E.C.A.'s wall camera. D.E.C.A. hadn't been able to speak once since the rangers battle ended nearly three hours ago; and Andros was growing quite irritated without having her assistance.

"I'm going to try and get D.E.C.A. up and working again." He spoke to Carlos and Ashley. "We're going to need her help to get some of the damages fixed."

Ashley hopped down from the ladder and set her tools down on the floor before heading over to the main controls, being careful not to step on Carlos. She pulled a quick search up and bit her bottom lip as she waited for her results. Andros spared a glance at her as she waited patiently. Finally, she smiled, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"It looks like things are quiet back on earth. I was worried that Astronema would launch an attack immediately."

"I don't think she'd attack so suddenly after that embarrassing defeat." Carlos said as he removed another fried circuit board and set it beside the others Andros was currently working on. "Not only did she lose Darkdona, but we outwitted her back on Callisto when we locked her and Ecliptor out of the access hatch to the Mega Voyager's storage room. She'll give us some time to have our victory; but she'll wind up coming back at us with everything she's got."

"Wow Carlos." Ashley said with a roll of her eyes. "You really know how to cheer someone up, don't you?"

"He is right though." Andros spoke up from his place beside D.E.C.A.'s control center. "She may give us a little time, but it won't be much. She knows we're damaged, and this would be the perfect time to strike."

Ashley and Carlos nodded as Andros suddenly walked out the room. The two of them exchanged a glance before Ashley walked off after him.

* * *

Ashley slowly walked into the dining hall and watched as Andros programmed a quick meal into the Synthetron and walked to take a seat at the table. He could sense Ashley's presence, but he didn't bother to look up as she approached him and quietly took a seat.

"Something's bothering you." She said knowingly. "Something…other than the damages done to the Megaship."

Andros took a bite of his meal before setting his fork down with a sigh. "We had to destroy Darkonda. Believe me, I get that. He was practically unstoppable and he needed to be dealt with; but still…part of me wishes that it didn't have to be that way."

"Why do you say that?" she wondered as she rested her hand on his forearm. Andros lifted his eyes to meet her honey-brown gaze.

"He's the one who kidnapped my sister. He knew who took her and why. More importantly…he knew where she is now. He may have been evil, but he was the first lead that I have had in ten years on Karone's location. Ashley…I have struggled with the pain of losing my sister for so long, and I finally found someone who could clue me in to what happened to her; and now…he's gone."

Ashley frowned as she saw the pain in Andros's eyes. More than anything, she wished she could snatch that pain and wrangle it by the neck before tossing it to the side where it could never hurt Andros again; but she knew that it wasn't possible. So she stood from her seat before walking and wrapping her arms around Andros from behind. She rested her head on top of his, inhaling its fresh, clean scent as she allowed her eyes to close. She could feel him lean into her embrace as he exhaled slowly.

"Look on the bright side Andros." She said encouragingly. "Darkdona may be dead, but at least he gave you a small flame of hope. He told you that your sister is alive. You are one step closer to finding her; and no, it may not be today, or the next, or the day after that. All I know is that you are going to find her someday. You're going to bring her home."

Ashley felt an indescribable warmth fill her chest as Andros's hands found hers and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"I hope you're right Ash." He whispered.

* * *

 **A/N:** **And so ends another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. See you at the next update!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


	19. Invasion of the Body Switcher

**A/N:** **After taking a few months away from writing to finish up my last semester of college, I can officially say that I am a college graduate with my English literature degree! Now, instead of devoting all my writing time to typing up term papers, I can finally get back to writing for all of you faithful readers.**

 **Thanks for all your patience during this writing time, and thanks to those of you who have left me reviews, for they are what truly inspire me to keep going on with this series rewrite; and to those new readers who decided to pop me a few questions in my inbox, thanks for joining in on the fun!**

* * *

 **To answer a few frequently asked questions over the past couple of months:**

 **1.) The episode "True Blue to the Rescue" has been scrapped because in this AU, the Turbo powers are no more. I decided to fill that plot hole after debating heavily over it for weeks. However, you will see Red Lightning Cruiser and Mountain Blaster's rescue, it just won't follow how things happened in the original series.**

 **2.) The other original rangers (Trini, Zack, and Kimberly) will have a cameo at some point during the story. As far as when, I'm not telling!**

 **3.) I am not accepting any prompt/story ideas at this time because I currently have five stories that have all been on hiatus because of schooling. Until I complete those five (unless it's a one-shot request), I won't be taking on any major projects.**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)…Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)…Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space.**_ **It was created by Haim Saban and is based off Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in this plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars,"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Invasion of the Body Switcher"**_

Three weeks after the discovery of the Mega Voyager, things seemed to be more peaceful than ever for the Astro Rangers. Astronema's forces had yet to make a move since their epic blunder on Calisto, and the Astro Rangers were thankful for the extra time it gave them to search for Zordon. After exploring two galaxies to the east of the Milky Way, their search came up empty; but the failure didn't discourage the rangers. So, when Ashley suggested they all head back to earth so she could celebrate her birthday, the others agreed.

Mr. and Mrs. Hammond were thrilled to have their daughter home from her "abroad trip" and had arranged a huge cookout in the park, much to their now eighteen-year-old's delight. The entire area smelled of freshly grilled hamburgers and hotdogs while TJ's portable boombox blasted Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life" through its speakers. The entire Angel Grove High School cheer squad was present to help celebrate Ashley's big day along with half the soccer team, the basketball team, and even a few kids from Ashley's church.

Mrs. Hammond smiled at Carlos who was busy wolfing down a hamburger while TJ watched in disbelief.

"Hey boys, it's almost time for cake." She said as she flashed them a smile. "Where'd the birthday girl go?"

"I think she and Cassie headed over to the bathroom." Carlos said with a mouthful of ground up burger and bun.

She nodded before sparing a glance at Andros who was sitting on the other side of the awning by himself with a paper plate in hand as he stared off into the distance.

"Say boys," she began as she took a seat beside TJ, "what's the story on that Andros kid?"

TJ and Carlos exchanged a glance before looking back at the woman they'd grown to respect as a second mother over the years.

"Um, he's really shy." Carlos said. "And sort of claustrophobic. He's not really one for crowds, you know?"

"That's not what I meant. I mean, I kind of want to know more about him. He seems like a good kid, and from the way Ashley goes on and on about him, I think she's crazy about him. I just want to know what his intentions are with my daughter."

TJ cleared his throat, feeling his face warm up at the suggestion. "Uh, they're really just good friends Mrs. Hammond, that's all. Besides…he just got out of a serious relationship with his first girlfriend. I don't think he's ready to start dating just yet."

"Ah, I see. Well, I've taken up enough of your time. I'm going to get this cake together so we can sing to the birthday girl."

"Right." Carlos said as they watched her head over to the large buffet.

* * *

Ashley leaned over her cake with a bright smile on her face as her friends and family finished singing happy birthday to her. Her father prompted for her to make a wish and she giggled before doing as she was told. Closing her eyes, she thought hard about what she wanted more than anything in the world. She then opened her eyes before blowing out the seventeen yellow candles sticking out the top of the large square cake.

While her mother began asking everyone who wanted ice cream, Cassie walked up behind her best friend and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"So, what did you wish for?" she inquired with a knowing smile.

"I can't tell you Cass, or it won't come true." Ashley said with a smirk. "Sorry, but that's one superstition I won't break."

"Well, how about I take a wild guess?" Cassie asked as she looked across the awning where Andros was still sitting on top of one of the empty tables.

Ashley blushed before shaking her head and turning her attention to her gathered guests. "Thanks everyone for coming out. I was really surprised! After all, I've been gone for a while now and I'm glad you guys care enough about me to come and celebrate."

"We love you Ashley." One of the sophomore cheerleaders cheered while a couple of the boys began to whistle.

"So, are you coming back to Angel Grove High when summer's up?" Lindsay, a fellow senior asked. "We sure could use you back for another cheer year. I mean, you did land the position as captain."

Ashley's smile faltered a bit as her thoughts turned back to the search for Zordon. Things were so different for her and the others last school year. She could do homework, attend extra-curricular activities, and spend time with her friends and family, all while balancing her duty as the Yellow Turbo Ranger. That lifestyle didn't even seem remotely plausible anymore with Astronema hunting them down.

With an unsure smile Ashley shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I mean, don't get me wrong, I want to come back. Really, I do. It's just that I'm learning so much through this studying program - things that I couldn't learn at Angel Grove High. Maybe things will work out a bit differently and I'll be able to come back?"

The girl's smiles faltered a bit, but they nodded understandingly. Ashley was a straight-A student after all, and they knew how much she valued her studies. If she felt that studying abroad was what was best for her, then they'd have no choice but to support her decision.

"Anyways, thanks for all the great stuff you guys." She said as she pulled a straw sunhat out of a large gift bag from Doreen, one of the sophomores she'd cheered with last year. Everyone except for the rangers moved toward the line to have a slice of cake while Ashley reached for the yellow bag with black polka dots on it from Carlos. She reached inside, her fingertips encountering something metal. With a raised eyebrow, she pulled the item out and was surprised to see that it was a fire extinguisher.

"Really Carlos?" she said with a raised eyebrow as he grabbed a piece of cake that Mr. Hammond offered to him.

"Hey, everyone needs one." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Looks to me like someone went gift shopping at the last possible minute." Cassie said knowingly as she folded her arms across her chest.

"In my defense, we haven't been to earth in a while. When was I supposed to go and find a gift with sentimental value?"

"Uh-huh." Ashley said with a smirk before snatching the yellow paper plate out of his hand. "Thank you."

"Hey, that was my corner!" he protested as Ashley walked away from him and the others towards Andros who was busy staring out towards Angel Grove Lake.

Ashley slowed her steps for a minute as she simply watched him. To anyone passing by, they might just assume that Andros was bored or antisocial, but Ashley knew better than that. Something was troubling him; so being the good friend she was, she smiled encouragingly before quickening her pace. Andros became aware of the sound of footsteps approaching and snapped out of his trance before turning to meet her gaze. He seemed to visibly relax, a smile working its way onto his lips as he slid off the concrete table to meet her.

"Birthday cake?" she asked cheerfully as she held the plate of pure sugar up to him. Andros smiled before taking it from her and setting it down on the table.

"Thanks."

The two of them stood in silence for a moment as they contemplated what to say next. Andros cleared his throat, pulling her eyes to meet his – brown on brown.

"We don't celebrate birthdays on KO-35." Andros admitted. "I mean sure, we acknowledge the fact that we're another year older, but that's really all there is to it."

"It's okay." Ashley giggled. "I don't expect you to know or follow all the weird customs we have here on earth. You didn't have to get me a present or anything. The fact that you came at all is enough for me."

"Actually…I kind of did find you a gift."

Ashley's gaze softened, her smile fading into a look of surprise as Andros pulled a small golden gift box out of his pocket. The gold exterior shone brightly as it would catch the sun's rays, giving off the appearance of a rainbow.

"Happy birthday Ashley." Andros spoke softly with a smile as he passed the box to her.

She slowly lifted the lid and felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of a necklace resting inside the box. The pendant was a silver triangle with a gorgeous yellow emerald in its center. Ashley's fingers took hold of the gift as she gently brought it into her palm and held it closer to her face. The yellow emerald looked as though it had some sort of liquid inside it. Upon closer inspection, Ashley realized the liquid was a sparkling red that spread throughout the gem every time she would move the pendant, blending amongst the yellow and creating a fiery orange.

"Wow." She said breathlessly as she admired its beauty.

"It's a rare gem from KO-35." Andros spoke after watching her for a minute. "I managed to find it during my last venture there for supplies. Most of the gems and valuables on the planet were ransacked or stolen after the colony's fall, so finding it was a pure stroke of luck. Anyway, when I saw it…it made me think of you. I hope you like it."

Ashley could feel tears welling up in her eyes at the beauty and thoughtfulness of the gift. She looked up to meet Andros's gaze and smiled.

"I love it Andros. Thank you so much."

Andros's face seemed to light up at her words. Next thing he knew, Ashley had closed the space between them, wrapping her arms around him in a hug as she rested her head against his chest. She could hear how fast his heart was beating as his nervous demeanor seemed to melt away; and as his arms snaked around her waist to hug her close, she felt completely full. Perhaps her birthday wish was going to come true after all?

* * *

 **" _The rangers' scans for Zordon are getting way too close to his current coordinates. You mustn't allow them to discover his location before I have finished draining his powers."_**

Astronema, Ecliptor, Elgar, and their lackeys stood at full attention as they watched Dark Specter on the viewing screen. Their demon ruler looked even more angrier than usual, if that were even possible. After he'd received word from Divatox that the Megaship had passed within the general vicinity of their current location, he was livid. After all, he had put Astronema in charge of destroying the rangers after the Red Astro Ranger had listened in on his intergalactic council meeting. Even though she was constantly being defeated by the rangers, she was still managing to keep them off Divatox's trail, which is all he cared about. The closer they got to the space pirate, the more her failures were becoming an issue.

Astronema mulled over these thoughts as Dark Specter continued to inform her and the others that he was going to have Empress Rita and Lord Zedd take Zordon off Divatox's hands for a while to confuse the rangers. After all, to their knowledge, Divatox was the one keeping guard of their mentor. They wouldn't be expecting for Rita and Zedd to have him within captivity.

"Don't worry Dark Specter. I'll stop them." Astronema declared with great determination.

 **" _I have overlooked your failures thus far Astronema because you are my greatest asset; but your failures are becoming too frequent. The rangers now have three Megazords at their disposal and the longer the former Turbo Rangers spend in space, the stronger their skills as space rangers become. I will have Rita and Zedd move Zordon to a more secluded location while you distract the rangers. Do not fail me,_ _or else_ _."_**

The transmission cut off abruptly and Astronema could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing erectly. Ignoring the chilling feeling creeping down her spine and the sick feeling in her gut, she turned away from the blank viewing screen to Ecliptor and Elgar.

"I have a plan." She spoke. "And this time, it's absolutely foolproof. I'm going to get onboard the Megaship and set the rangers completely off course. The won't be expecting an ambush from one of their own."

"What do you mean by that?" Elgar asked. "You got some kind of mind control device or something? I thought that Evilyzer ray gun got destroyed last month?"

"You imbecile. I'm not going to brainwash one of the rangers. I'm going to become one myself. After all, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

"But won't the rangers recognize you Astronema?"

"That's why I need help from the Body Switcher."

Astronema's hands began to glow an ominous purple as she threw them forward. Using a summoning spell, a black and silver creature who looked like a metallic hybrid between a human and a roach appeared.

"Ah, Princess Astronema. To what do I owe the pleasure of this untimely visit?"

"Body Switcher, it's been awhile." Astronema greeted him with a smirk. "What's it been, two years since we last worked together?"

"Sure was. What can I do for you this time."

"The Astro Yellow Ranger." Astronema said. "The sweet spot of the team. I want you to turn me into the Yellow Ranger."

"That's an easy one."

The creature aimed his open palms towards Astronema covering her in a sparkling white energy. Elgar looked away, frightened by the outcome; but when he turned his attention back, he was absolutely stunned. There in Astronema's place stood a slender, beige-toned teenager with curly light-brown hair. She wore a light purple and white plaid skort, a white sports bra beneath a yellow jacket, and white tennis shoes. Elgar was stunned to find the Yellow Ranger Ashley Hammond standing in Astronema's place.

Astronema eyed her new body with interest. This plan was pure genius and she began to wonder why she hadn't resorted to it months ago. It surely would have saved her several embarrassing defeats.

"As usual, your work is flawless Body Switcher."

"Why thank you." The monster said as he gave a satisfactory smile.

"So my princess, what is our course of action?" Ecliptor asked as he held onto the hilt of his sword eagerly.

"Ecliptor and I will venture to earth with a few Quantrons at our disposal. Earlier scans detected that all the rangers are currently residing in Angel Grove Park. The Yellow Ranger will be brought here and held in captivity until I return to dispose of her permanently. Body Snatcher, Elgar, you two will be responsible for keeping an eye on her. You mustn't let her escape until my part is finished. Let's move."

Ecliptor and eight Quantrons quickly made a move out of the throne room as they followed close to Astronema.

"Get ready rangers. Things are about to get _real_ personal."

* * *

Ashley and Cassie strolled down one of the many jogging paths in the park. Ashley's party had come to an end and most of her guests had gone home or stayed to help her mother and father clean up their mess. The guys had gone back to the Megaship to begin strategizing their next move for their search, promising to return to earth when they were finished. After all, Andros had assured them that they would stay for the entire weekend so Ashley could spend time with her family. Since Ashley's mother disapproved of her daughter helping with the cleanup process on her birthday, she and Cassie opted to go for a little walk.

"So, have you heard from Zentin lately?" Ashley asked as she struck up a conversation. She had to admit, she did have quite a few questions for Cassie about the Phantom Ranger.

"We talked last week." Cassie said with a smile as she looked up at the blue sky overhead. "His search has taken him past the Karova System so he's pretty far away; but he's reassured me that he'll stop by once he's back in the vicinity."

"I don't know how you do it." Ashley admitted. "The whole long-distance relationship thing has got to be hard."

"It's okay." Cassie shrugged. "I understand that Zentin has an important mission he's embarked on, and it won't end until he's found Zordon. I can't be angry at him for that. Besides…I care about him way too much to hold any kind of a grudge against him. But enough about me! Let's talk about our mysterious dual-haired leader and his thoughtful gift."

Cassie pointed at the pendant hanging around Ashley's neck from a silver chain. The Yellow Ranger's acrylic nailed fingertips grasped onto the pendant as she thought over her hug with the Red Ranger.

"I really wasn't expecting him to get this for me. I mean…look at it Cass! It's beautiful and he put so much thought into it. I mean, Andros and I are such good friends. I mean, I feel like I'm closer to him than he is with the rest of you; and lately, I don't know…it just feels like our bond has gotten stronger. Sometimes I feel like he likes me, but he's _so shy_."

"Well, look at it this way. He's been riding around alone in a space ship for two years with no one to accompany him but D.E.C.A., so he probably hasn't had much of a chance to date."

"Yeah, I guess you're right; but there's still the whole Adia factor. I mean, he was in love with his teammate and if fate hadn't cruelly separated them, they would still be together right now. I mean, I don't compare to her. From what he's told me about her, she seemed like a wonderful girl. It's no wonder he's still hung up on her."

"Ashley, don't do this to yourself. I mean, sure. He probably does still harbor feelings for Adia, but believe me when I say this – he has feelings for you too. I can see it every time he looks at you. Just because he's trying hard to move on from a past relationship, that doesn't mean he's not interested in you."

Ashley opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly found the gloved hand of a Quantron covering her mouth. She tried to cry out, scream, or do anything to alert Cassie who continued to walk down the pathway, but the Pink Ranger was still rambling on trying to boost her friend's confidence. Before she could even make a move, she felt a stronger hand wrap around her arm and yank her behind a tall row of hedges. Her eyes widened with horror at the sight of an identical version of herself staring back at her wickedly.

"Why, hello Yellow Ranger." Astronema spoke with a sinister smile. "Surprised to see me, are you?"

Astronema could hear Ashley say her name in disbelief from behind the Quantron's glove and she nodded once to confirm the girl's suspicion.

"The Body Snatcher does fine work, don't you think? Let's see what your friends think of my new look."

Ashley's eyes widened in horror as her "evil twin" snatched her Astro Morpher off her wrist and dangled it in front of her face. Ashley tried her hardest to fight against her restraints, but the Quantrons grips wouldn't let up. Ecliptor laughed as Astronema strapped the morpher onto her wrist before walking around the hedges to join Cassie who was calling her name.

"Where'd you go?" Cassie asked.

"My shoe was untied." Astronema spoke quickly as she rested a hand on the Pink Ranger's shoulder. "Sorry about that."

Cassie was about to reply when she heard a muffled cry coming from behind the hedges.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Astronema asked as her eyes widened. Cassie turned around and started heading towards the hedges. Realizing that Ecliptor and the Quantrons hadn't made their way back to the Dark Fortress, Astronema growled angrily before snapping her fingers, summoning a fleet to her side.

"Make it count." She warned them with an affirmative nod.

Two of the Quantrons grabbed her arms, restraining her as she took a deep breath and screamed. "Cassie, help!"

Cassie spun around and was horrified to see her friend within the arms of a group of Quantrons. Narrowing her eyes, Cassie ran towards the robotic henchmen and began to attack them.

Astronema slipped out of her "captors" grasp before nonchalantly pretending to fight against them. Swiping the occasional arm away and kicking a few shins here and there. When one of the Quantrons accidently struck her hard in the gut, her nostrils flared angrily as she sent a punch right back at him, sending him flying into one of the hedges.

Cassie was holding her own pretty well, making a mental note of how the Quantrons didn't seem to be trying nearly as hard as they usually did to take her down. Suddenly the Quantrons disappeared, leaving her and "Ashley" standing alone.

"What was that all about?" Cassie asked in confusion as she looked around the park. "The Quantrons attack and there's no monster?"

Astronema smirked knowingly as she spied a faint light on the other side of the hedges, indicating that a teleportation had just taken place. Falling back into character, she jogged over to Cassie.

"I don't like this." She said, doing her best to act anxious. "We'd better get to the Megaship and tell the others. Astronema might be planning her next move."

"Right." Cassie agreed.

* * *

Astronema studied her reflection closely as she stood in front of the full-length mirror in Ashley's bathroom onboard the Megaship. So far, everything was going according to plan. She looked identical to the Yellow Ranger all the way from the dimples in her cheeks to the small birthmark on her right shoulder blade. There were visible scars on her hands and arms that were faded but still present from recent and past battles. Astronema couldn't help but to admire how concise the Body Switcher's job had been.

So far, none of the rangers suspected that anything was out of the ordinary. She and Cassie had returned to the Megaship and the Pink Ranger had explained to their male companions that a group of Quantrons had attacked without warning and not a single monster had been within the vicinity. Andros made the decision to launch a full scan of Angel Grove and the nearby planets for any suspicious activity while Astronema snuck off to find the Yellow Ranger's room.

It was a dormitory of sorts – metal walls with matching ceilings and floors, and it also had large-faced windows that gave Astronema a good view of the billions of stars stretching onward for miles in the black abyss of space. The Yellow Ranger appeared to be a very organized girl as well – no dirty laundry strewn about, her desk chair pushed in, her gray comforter and yellow pillow placed on a neatly made bed, and her magazines stacked on the bedside table.

Astronema walked out of the bathroom and studied the room more closely, curiosity overcoming her. There were pictures on a strange rectangular board above the desk of the Yellow Ranger, the other Power Rangers, and a few people she did not recognize. Ashley looked very happy in the images and Astronema couldn't help but to feel a little irritated. After all, someone of the photographs were very old and held sentimental value. There was a photo of Ashley holding up a trophy she'd won at summer camp for building the best bird house, an image of a six-year-old Ashley wearing black and green tutu after a dance recital, pictures of her first dance, her first boyfriend, and of course there were images of Ashley and her fellow rangers.

"Disgusting." Astronema scoffed before moving over to the sliding door closet. She pushed the doors open and her scowl deepened at the sight of seven Astro Ranger uniforms hanging from metal hangers and two pairs of black boots beneath them. Astronema peeled off the clothing of her disguise before reaching into the closet and pulling out one of the uniforms. The fabric of the pants made her legs itch and the minute her feet were inside of her cadet boots she growled. They were stiff and extremely uncomfortable; but if she wanted to maintain her cover, she had to play the part. After sliding the yellow under armor shirt on over her head and slipping on her jacket, Astronema headed out of Ashley's room with her next objective in mind.

"Now to find the engine room." She spoke as she slowly walked through the halls. If she were to disable the rangers' main means of transportation, Rita and Zedd would have more than enough time to move Zordon to his new location.

" _ **The Megaship's main engine room is located on Mega Deck Six."**_ D.E.C.A. spoke up, startling the imposter ranger.

Ignoring her heart pounding hard in her chest, Astronema quickly moved so her back was against the wall before peering around the corner. When her eyes finally spotted D.E.C.A., she aimed her right index finger towards the A.I. before casting a small electric spell, the ray striking D.E.C.A.'s lens and frying her circuitry.

"I've got to watch my back." She spoke before heading further down the hall in search of the Mega Deck that the robot spoke of. Her eyes scanned the foreign font written on signs and panels all the way down the hall and she cursed at the realization that she couldn't read a single word in the foreign font. After what seemed like forever, her eyes finally recognized one of the many fonts onboard the ship – Karovian. Ecliptor had managed to teach her the language when she was younger and she could read the words _Mega Deck Six_ clear as day.

Just as she began to head towards her destination, Cassie called out to her from the repair room, spotting her as she passed by the opened doorway.

"Hey Ash, can you come help me for a sec?"

Astronema grit her teeth in frustration before plastering on the fakest smile she could muster and heading into the room.

"Sure, why not. What do you need?"

Cassie was holding a damaged Astro Blaster in her right hand while a scanner was positioned in her left. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she read the readings being picked up on the scanner. During their last ranger battle, her Astro Blaster's fire power seemed to be completely out of whack. Andros suggested she check the blaster's plutonium levels so that's what she currently found herself doing.

"Can you hand me the M-Scanner?" Cassie asked, not bothering to look away from her blaster.

"Sure." Astronema said, doing her best to sound cheerful.

Cassie continued to check her latest scans, but after thirty seconds of waiting on the M-Scanner, she looked over towards "Ashley" who was busy looking at all the various tools sprawled out on the table top.

"It's over there by the other Astro Blasters." Cassie said with a raised eyebrow. She motioned her head towards the other side of the room and watched as Ashley quickly moved to retrieve the small remote scanner. With a shake of her head, Cassie moved to set her scanner down.

Astronema set the M-Scanner down beside the other tools, smirking at Cassie whose back was turned towards her. Slowly, she extended her hands towards the ceiling as she summoned her diamond-tipped staff into her grasp. She then brought it down hard, whacking Cassie over the head. The Pink Ranger cried out as she stumbled forward, knocking the damaged Astro Blaster and several tools onto the metal floor with a loud crash. Astronema then proceeded to kick her in the back, sending her across the room where she slammed into the wall.

With a maniacal laugh, the Ashley doppelganger aimed her staff at Cassie who was busy rolling onto her side. Her eyes widened in horror when they met with the tip of Astronema's staff.

"What's going on?"

"Lights out Pink Ranger."

With one electric blast, Cassie was sent into a state of unconsciousness as her body lay in a heap on the floor. Astronema smirked before sending her staff back to its resting place. She then grabbed Cassie by her arms before dragging her out of the room.

* * *

Carlos stared up at the overhead fluorescent lights from his position on the weight bench as he lifted a barbell in a steady rhythm. He was nearing the end of his daily set and was ignoring the burning sensation in his arms as he continued to exercise. When Andros had shown him the weight room a few months back, he was amazed by how advanced the equipment was. He didn't have to add weights like he did back on earth. Instead, the barbell's weight was added through an electronic signal, giving its user infinite options on how much weight they desired to lift.

As a Nirvana song poured through the overhead speakers, Carlos didn't hear Astronema walk into the room.

"Hey there Carlos." She called out to him as she stepped into the room. He smiled at her in greeting as she headed over to the stereo controls and lowered the volume.

"What's up Ash?" he asked as he continued his set.

"Oh, nothing much. I was gonna see if you wanted to head back to earth with me for a bit to help me finish celebrating my birthday, but I see you're a little occupied."

"Well, I'm almost done with this set." He said as he gave her a quick smile. "I can always hang when I'm finished."

"Great. Would you like any help speeding up the process a bit? I have nothing better to do."

"You could add a little more weight. A few pounds should do."

"Alright then."

Astronema smirked as she walked over to the weight setting controls before kneeling down. She eyed the buttons carefully, frowning when she couldn't recognize the font. With a shrug, she pressed the top button, smirking when she saw how Carlos was struggling to hold the barbell up. Suddenly, his arms gave out and the bar dropped down on his chest as he let out a winded sound.

"Wait, that's too much. Ash, turn the machine off, quick!"

Astronema smirked as she leaned over the struggling teen. She then pushed down on the barbell, smirking as Carlos let out a strangled cry of pain. His eyes met hers and she could see the fear behind them.

"What's the matter babe?" she purred, earning an even more fearful look from the Black Ranger. Raising her right hand up above her head, her staff appeared and a knowing look settled on Carlos face as he began to struggle against his restraints.

"Well what do ya know Carlos." She said with a giggle. "Looks like this workout session is gonna have to be cut short."

* * *

Astronema laughed to herself as she finished tying Carlos and Cassie together. Thankfully, the two of them hadn't roused from unconsciousness during the whole ordeal. The last thing she needed was for one of them to start screaming to alert the remaining two rangers. After ensuring that their restraints would hold, she quickly slid out of the engine room.

"Oh, there you are Ashley!" Alpha called out to her.

Astronema jumped, her heartbeat taking off, as she spun around to face the blue, red, and gold colored robot.

"Why you sneaky son of a…don't ever scare me like that again! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi, I'm sorry Ashley." Alpha said before chuckling. "It's just that I wanted to give you your birthday present. You seemed in such a hurry when you and Cassie returned from earth that I figured you might be busy making other plans for the rest your day. So, I figured I should just give it to you now!"

Alpha held up a medium-sized gift box wrapped in yellow paper, a huge purple bow positioned on its top. Astronema raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliarity of the gesture before poking at the box, her acrylic nails clicking loudly against its surface.

"Go on, open it." Alpha encouraged her, his voice sounding absolutely elated.

Astronema's fingers gripped the edges of the lid as she slowly lifted it off the box, revealing an antique music box resting amongst a bedding of red tissue paper. She removed the trinket, eyeing it suspiciously as she tried to make sense of what it was. After examining it for a moment, she spied a small key on its underside and turned it twice. A sweet melodic tune began to come from the instrument, the notes sounding like twinkling chimes as it echoed off the surrounding metal walls. The ballerina positioned in the center of the music box began to turn slowly, a smile etched on her ceramic face as she began to dance.

"Happy birthday Ashley." Alpha said cheerfully as he patted her on the shoulder. Astronema watched as the little robot made his way down the hall, leaving her alone with the gift. Her eyes rested on the ballerina once more as a heavy feeling filled her gut. The item was foreign to her, yet its tune seemed so familiar and inviting. She couldn't recall ever hearing such a wonderful sound and the very thought made her eyes burn.

Remembering her mission, Astronema looked around the hallway and smirked at the sight of a trash chute positioned in the wall. She quickly moved to shove the pretty trinket inside before moving on towards the bridge.

"D.E.C.A.?" she heard TJ's voice as she neared her destination. "Something isn't right."

As she rounded the corner, TJ was heading right towards her. A look of relief washed over his face when he saw her.

"There you are."

"Something the matter?"

"You bet something's the matter. Andros and I were running a quick scan and D.E.C.A.'s sensors suddenly went offline. Now I see that one of her sensors has been destroyed. Anyway, have you seen Cassie or Carlos? I tried contacting them but neither of them are responding. They didn't say anything about going down to earth either."

"Cassie said something about taking a nap." Astronema spoke quickly as she moved her hands behind her back and began to rock on the balls of her feet. "As for Carlos, I think he's still working out in the gym. He promised to do something with me later after his workout. The music was so loud when I spoke with him that I bet he didn't hear you try and contact him. I'm sure he's still down there if you want to go check."

TJ nodded before brushing past her. Just before he could head into the elevator, Astronema zapped him with one of her spells. TJ fell to the floor in a heap and Astronema smirked as his body twitched a few times before going perfectly still.

"Why bother with monsters anymore?" she said with a laugh before grabbing TJ by his legs and dragging him into the engine room to tie up with Cassie and Carlos. "I've done more work in two measly hours than they've managed to do in two weeks. I hate getting my hands dirty, but hey, it gets the job done. Now that the earthlings are out of the way, that just leaves me and him."

Astronema's thoughts turned to Zhane's smiling face and she felt fury building in her chest as she recalled how he had left her without a second thought to save his best friend. Andros would pay dearly for his influence over him. She would make sure of it.

* * *

Ashley struggled against her restraints as the Body Switcher did his best to keep her entertained. He continually shape shifted from monster to monster while she watched helplessly from her restrained position against a column of the Dark Fortress. She'd been stuck in the musty basement with the goon for nearly four hours since Ecliptor tied her there, and she was going out of her mind.

Astronema was currently posing as her and she had the Yellow Astro Morpher within her possession. Ashley's thoughts turned to Cassie who she'd last seen walking off with the imposter in the park. Lord only knew how much trouble her friends were in all because she'd let her guard down. Astronema and her goons had been quiet for nearly two weeks. She should have anticipated an attack happening.

'I hope Andros is okay.' She thought to herself as she thought back to Andros giving her the necklace that was currently pressing against her chest through the restraints.

"So Yellow Ranger, what did ya think of the show?"

Ashley looked to the creepy creature as a knowing look settled on her face. She cleared her throat before holding her head up high.

"Eh, you're _okay_."

"Just _okay_?" Body Switcher said in disbelief. "I'll have you know, I am one of the most elite shape shifters in the entire galaxy. Why, people praise me for my gifts. I'm one of a kind honey."

"So you can change your own appearance. I mean, that's pretty cool. Then there's the job you did with Astronema, but I still think that's an easy job. I mean, if you really want to impress me, I think you should try changing me for a change. Work on a different canvass. You might surprise yourself and create the perfect masterpiece."

"Challenge accepted Yellow Ranger." Body Switcher said with a cackle. "Give me the name and I'll play the game."

Ashley could hear Elgar calling Astronema's name from down the hall, his footsteps heavy against the molding floor tiles as they neared her and the Body Switcher.

"I bet you couldn't change me into Astronema." Ashley said quickly, her eyes darting in the direction of Elgar's shouting.

"Watch and be amazed." Body Switcher shouted as he shot a beam at Ashley, encasing her in a glittering white light.

Ashley closed her eyes as the light hit her, but they opened immediately when she felt the change in her body. Her legs were thinner, the muscles she'd gained from years of cheerleading and dancing at the Angel Grove Ballet studio completely gone. Her hair was shorter, in a bob cut, the black and scarce silver strands hanging in her face beneath the confines of a metal headband. Her chest was larger, hidden beneath a silver breast plate that covered the catsuit she was currently trapped in. Body Switcher had truly outdone himself; and despite being the enemy, Ashley couldn't deny that she was impressed with his work.

Elgar finally appeared going on and on about not being able to find Ecliptor; but when he caught sight of a now Astronema look-a-like restrained to a column, he shoved Body Switcher.

"What the hell are you doing to Astronema? Have you lost your mind!"

"Elgar, untie me _right now_!" Ashley roared as she did her best to impersonate the evil princess.

Body Switcher extended a hand from his place on the floor as he tried to stop Elgar from making his next move, but the pink skinned, pointy-headed creature had already used his sword to sever the ropes holding down Ashley in half.

"Thanks." She said with a grateful smile before running off.

"Stop her!" she could hear the Body Switcher shout as she ran up a flight of metal stairs and down a long corridor. She could hear the Body Switcher and Elgar running just a little way behind her as the Body Switcher explained the situation to Elgar. Now that he was aware of her true identity, she knew she was in for a world full of trouble if they were to catch her.

Shoving a few Quantrons out of the way, Ashley managed to make her way to the hanger bay where several Velocifighter ships were currently waiting on standby.

"Stop her!" Elgar's voice echoed off the hallway walls behind her; and just like the flip of a switch, the entire room erupted in chaos.

Quantrons began to charge towards the Astronema look-a-like and Ashley did her best to maneuver around and underneath the extended arms of her attackers as she made her way towards the hanger doors.

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed hold of her arms and she growled in frustration as she struggled against them, mentally reminding herself that she didn't have her Astro Morpher to help her out of this jam. Taking a deep breath, Ashley leaned forward, wincing as her arms were pulled behind her by her captor before kicking him hard in the stomach with the heel of her boot. The Quantron released her, completely winded by the attack and Ashley cheered before barreling through a group of three, knocking them onto the floor.

One of the Velocifighter ships was positioned at the head of the fleet, it's top open, as Ashley closed in on the closed hanger bay doors. Kicking another pursuer in the face, she hopped inside and grabbed the handle connected to the overhead door before pulling it closed over her head. She eyed the buttons quickly as panic began to rise in her chest. After all, she was still being pursued, and just one wrong move would be enough to end her attempt at escaping.

Ashley's eyes found something that looked similar to the ignition of a car; and thankfully, a key was protruding from it. She quickly turned the key and was relieved when the engine of the ship revved up. Taking hold of the controls, she pulled the steering gear towards her chest and screamed as the Velocifighter shot off like a rocket, speeding down the take-off lane. Realizing that she would crash into the wall if she didn't get the doors open, Ashley began to push every button within sight. A few light flickers and two missile launches later, the hanger bay doors slid open quickly, giving Ashley the perfect view of the void of space on the other side. She revved the engine and floored the gas pedal as the Velocifighter ship shot through the opening, freeing her from her imprisonment on the Dark Fortress.

The Yellow Ranger released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and her shoulders relaxed as she hung her head, her chin pressing against her collar bone as she did her best to calm her racing heart.

"That was too close." She said. "I have to contact the others, but how?"

Ashley's thoughts once again turned to her stolen morpher and the fact that Astronema was currently impersonating her. If her friends hadn't fallen victim to whatever scheme she was hatching, she certainly was going to have a hard time convincing them to let her onboard the Megaship in her current condition. Not knowing what else to do, Ashley pulled up the navigation controls before setting her sights on the blue planet earth.

* * *

Andros looked up as the sounds of the sliding doors behind him opening reached his ears. Astronema smiled at him sweetly as she clasped her hands behind her back and walked into the room.

"I thought you were TJ." He said with a smile as he watched her walk towards him.

"Nope. It's just me. Disappointed?"

"Not at all." Andros said, his smile growing.

Astronema raised an eyebrow at the look on his face, but paid him no mind as she walked up behind Cassie's usual seat and ran her hands against its head rest, the leather sticking to the pads of her fingers.

"Have you seen the others?" Andros inquired as his smile melted away. "TJ went to look for you guys earlier and he hasn't come back yet. It's like everyone just disappeared."

"They're around here somewhere. Don't worry." Astronema said convincingly. "I mean, they would've let us know if they were leaving the ship. Maybe they took a nap or something?"

Andros nodded in agreement before leaning back against the control panel wall and folding his arms over his chest. Astronema could feel his eyes on her and took a deep breath as she tried to refrain from killing him then and there. Instead she turned to meet his gaze, deciding to play along.

"Is something the matter?"

Andros, who was clearly lost in his thoughts, jumped slightly at the sound of her voice before scratching the back of his head.

"It's nothing really." He said as he focused his gaze on the stars just outside the front windshield.

"Come on Andros. I know when you're keeping things from me." Astronema said as she walked over to him, her right hand behind her back as she began to charge up a spell. "Just tell me. You can trust me with anything."

Andros looked up at her hesitantly before sighing. "I just wanted to say…thanks. I mean, you've really helped me through a lot lately and sometimes, I just feel like I'm burdening you with my problems. I'm just not used to having someone around me who cares so much."

"You're not a burden Andros." She said with a roll of her eyes, doing her best to keep an oncoming wave of nausea at bay. "I'm glad that I can help you."

"No Ashley. You do so much more than that. After losing my teammates to Astronema and Dark Specter's forces…something inside me just snapped. I mean, I had lost my friends and my family…my home. I vowed that I would avenge my people, so I embarked on this journey alone. That is until you and the others happened across my ship."

Astronema paused her spell as she listened to the Red Ranger's words. She could see how hard it was for him to discuss what happened. His knuckles were gripping the edge of the control panel so hard that they were white, and he couldn't even look her in the eye. On top of that, his jaw was tight and a vein was throbbing in the side of his neck. He was really trying hard to keep himself together just to talk to her. Astronema began to question the close bond that had obviously formed between the Red and Yellow Astro Rangers as she stared at the man she swore to hate.

Andros ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair as he shuddered. "Despite how cruelly I treated you and the others at first…even though I was willing to do anything and everything to push you guys away just so I could grieve and continue my mission alone, you wouldn't let me; and now, with everything I've found out about Darkonda…I just really want you to know how much I appreciate having you around. You're like a rock to me Ash. You're probably my closest friend and I…really care about you."

Astronema felt like a deer caught in headlights. Just _what_ was she supposed to say to him. Sure, she was still young, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't know what it was like to care so deeply for someone else; and it was more than obvious through this indirect speech of gratitude that Andros was hinting that he held deep feelings for Ashley; and just what did Darkonda have to do with their relationship?

Realizing that she wasn't going to be able to corner the Red Ranger like she had done to the others, Astronema used her powers to manipulate the viewing screen rather than using her spell on Andros. An image of an overgrown monster attacking Angel Grove appeared and she smirked as she began to execute Plan B.

"Andros, look!" she shouted as she grabbed the Red Ranger's hand and tugged him over to the viewing screen.

"Oh no." Andros said, his eyes widening in horror. "Looks like Astronema's finally on the move."

" _My sensors detect no disturbances on earth."_ D.E.C.A. spoke up in response to Andros's words.

"How can that be?"

"She's obviously bugged up." Astronema spoke quickly. "I mean, TJ did tell me earlier that D.E.C.A. hasn't exactly been doing the best job today."

"Right. We'd better go and find the others."

"No." Astronema said quickly, earning a questioning look from Andros. "There isn't any time. That monster is going to wipe out the city if we don't get down there and do something. We can just contact the others from earth. I'm sure they'll get to us as fast as they can to help out."

Andros mulled over her words for a moment before nodding quickly. "You're right. Let's go!"

Andros took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before pulling her off the bridge and leading her into the dining hall. Astronema raised an eyebrow at the sight of five jump tubes that corresponded with the ranger's colors positioned on a walkway just on the opposite side of the room. Andros released her hand before running up the steps and flipping up the lid of his morpher.

"Let's Rock It!" he shouted before jumping into the tube.

Astronema's eyes widened in disbelief as he disappeared from her sight. Glancing around the room to ensure that she wasn't being watched, Astronema flipped the lid of her morpher up as well and followed Andros's actions before hopping into the yellow tube to finish off the final act of her mission.

* * *

Andros, now clad in his Red Ranger uniform, slowly walked through an empty construction site on the outskirts of Angel Grove as he looked around for signs of the large monster that was supposed to be attacking; but much to his surprise, there wasn't a single monster in sight.

"I'm almost one-hundred percent sure that these are the correct coordinates." He spoke to himself. "So, where's the monster?"

Meanwhile, Astronema who had taken on the form of the Yellow Ranger had removed her Astro Blaster from its holster and was aiming right for Andros's neck. She was so close to her revenge that she wanted to laugh. Her stomach fluttered with excitement as she did her best to remain in control, but just as she prepared to pull the trigger, someone with a _very_ familiar face stepped into view.

"Stop it right there Astronema!"

Astronema blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but after the third time of blinking, she realized that she was indeed seeing someone an exact copy of herself.

"Astronema!" Andros shouted as anger began to roll off him in waves.

Ashley stared at the two Power Rangers before her with fear in her eyes. Judging by Andros's stance, he wasn't going to hold back; and if she didn't get through to him quickly, she was done for.

" _Please_ listen to me." She tried as she took a hesitant step towards him, but Andros wasn't about to listen to her.

Ashley gasped as the Red Ranger charged towards her like an enraged bull, tackling her to the ground and causing them both to roll across the gravel and dirt-covered ground. Ashley winced in pain as a few rocks sliced the back of her catsuit, leaving small cuts in her skin. She looked up just in time to block an oncoming punch that Andros was prepared to land in the center of her face. He maneuvered so he was straddling her stomach as he prepared to strike her again, but Ashley had anticipated the move and managed to shove him off her. Quickly, she rolled onto her hands and knees before pushing herself up onto her feet. She gasped, jumping back as Andros took a swing at her with his Spiral Saber.

"Andros, please stop!" she shouted as she did her best to dodge each swing, but it was more than obvious at this point that Andros was being driven by pure hatred and rage.

"Destroy her while you have the chance!" Astronema shouted as she watched the fight from afar.

Ashley gasped as Andros's saber came right at her, aiming for her shoulder. Thinking quickly, she swung her right leg upward in a fan kick, kicking the weapon out of Andros's hand and sending it skidding across the gravel. Andros turned, prepared to make a grab for it, but Ashley shoved him out of the way, knocking him to the ground. Andros was back on his feet in an instant and grabbed her by her shoulders as he tried to knock her down, but Ashley firmly stood her ground and pressed her own palms against his shoulders, doing her best to keep them both balanced.

"Andros, you _have_ to listen to me. That person in the Yellow Ranger's suit is _not_ me! It's Astronema in disguise! Please, I'm telling you the truth!"

Ashley managed to shove Andros away from her and she looked at him pleadingly as she begged for him to understand. Andros felt his heart clench painfully at the sight of tears beginning to pool in Astronema's eyes. Surely, this wasn't possible.

"What is she talking about?" Andros demanded to know as he turned to the Yellow Ranger who was jogging over to them, Astro Blaster in hand.

"It's obviously a trick." Astronema spoke quickly as she aimed her Astro Blaster at her look-a-like.

"Yeah that's right. It is a trick!" Ashley agreed as she stomped her foot. "Astronema's latest monster, the Body Switcher, switched our appearances so she could sabotage our team from the inside out; and if you don't believe me, I have a way to prove it."

Andros dropped his guard as he stared at "Astronema" questioningly. Ashley then turned to the disguised Astronema and smirked as a newfound sense of confidence overcame her.

"If you're really Ashley, what did Andros get you for your birthday?"

Astronema's eyes widened as the question passed through the girl's lips Now she'd done it. Things were going so perfectly and somehow, the Yellow Ranger had managed to outsmart her lackeys and escape. If she failed this mission there would be hell to pay back on the Dark Fortress.

"I don't see what that has to do with anything." Astronema snapped.

"What did he get you?" Ashley spoke more firmly.

"Ashley…?" Andros questioned the Yellow Ranger, hurt evident in his voice.

"It was a necklace from KO-35." Ashley declared triumphantly as she held her head high.

Andros turned to the Astronema look-a-alike and gasped. " _ASHLEY_?!"

Ashley nodded quickly as a smile warmed her lips. Suddenly overcome with a newfound rage, Andros drew his Astro Blaster before turning and raising his weapon at the Yellow Ranger. He then fired off several shots, getting direct hits. The Yellow Ranger's suit began to spark and smoke as she fell back and rolled across the ground, the Yellow Astro Morpher falling from her wrist. Andros was in complete disbelief when Astronema was revealed, the power of the Body Snatcher having worn off.

Andros quickly made a dive for the Yellow Astro Morpher, but before he could hand it to Ashley, she and Astronema had begun attacking each other, leaving the Red Ranger confused. The two of them looked identical in both body and voice, and Andros couldn't tell them apart if his life depended on it.

" _ **Come in Andros."**_ TJ's voice came from his communicator.

"I'm here TJ. Where have you been?"

" _ **You're not going to believe this, but me and the others were attacked on the Megaship by Ashley. She has Astronema's staff and she tied us up in a closet of the engine room. Astronema must be controlling her with some kind of spell. I'm just glad Alpha found us and set us free. Where are you now? You're in danger."**_

"I came down to earth under false pretenses. Ashley was Astronema in disguise and somehow, Ashley's appearance has been altered so she now looks like Astronema. I was able to make a distinction between the two of them, but now, they both look the same and-"

" _ **We're on our way Andros. Don't worry."**_ TJ cut him off.

Andros nodded before turning back to Ashley and Astronema who seemed to be evenly matched. The two of them had their hands on each other's shoulders as they struggled to get the other one down on the ground. One of the Astronema's finally got the other by her arm, pulling it painfully behind her before stomping down on her back. The other Astronema grunted before loosening up just enough to kick her attacker in the stomach.

"Hold it right there Astronema!" Cassie shouted as she, Carlos, and TJ ran over to join Andros, all of them morphed into their ranger suits. Cassie held her Astro Blaster up and was shocked to see two versions of the dark princess in the middle of an intense catfight.

"Which one is Ashley?" Carlos asked as he tried to study the movements of the two girls.

"I don't know." TJ said. "Obviously, Astronema's Ashley disguise wore off somehow."

Andros wracked his brain for a plan, but he kept coming up blank. The only logical thing to do would be to find the Body Switcher monster that had changed Astronema and Ashley in the first place and destroy it to break its spell. Suddenly, another thought came to the Red Ranger. He looked at the Yellow Astro Morpher in his hand before looking up at the two Astronemas.

"Hey Ashley!" he called out to them, getting both of their attention. "Let's Rock It!"

The two Astronemas exchanged a glance, but the Astronema on the right nodded at Andros before throwing her arm forward, signaling that she knew her morphing stance.

" _That's_ Ashley." Andros said with a smile as he pointed at the Astronema who'd done the morph correctly.

"I didn't want to be a Power Ranger _anyway_." Astronema snapped as she glared at the Red Ranger. "Body Switcher, _now_!"

The Body Switcher appeared through a portal as Astronema held her injured shoulder and walked off. She was absolutely livid over her plan being foiled. She had successfully subdued three of the rangers and had Ashley not escaped from the Dark Fortress, Andros wouldn't be breathing. With a growl, she summoned a portal before disappearing, leaving the rangers at the Body Snatcher's mercy.

Cassie, Carlos, and TJ ran towards the Body Switcher, their weapons drawn while Andros jogged over to Ashley.

"I can't believe what Astronema has done." He said as guilt filled his voice. "I could have killed you."

"That's not important." Ashley reassured him as she rested a gloved hand on his shoulder. "All that matters is you realized the truth before it was too late. I'm okay, don't worry."

"Right then." Andros said with a nod before holding out her morpher. "I believe _this_ belongs to you."

Ashley nodded as Andros ran off to join the others. She then flipped up the lid of her morpher before glaring at the Body Switcher.

"Let's Rock It!"

As soon as Ashley felt the protection of her ranger suit, she leaped into the air before letting out a battle cry and kicking the Body Switcher in its chest. The blue bug-like creature was sent flying into the beam of a nearby construction project before falling face down on the ground.

"Your body switching days are over." Ashley snapped as she summoned her Star Slinger and began to open fire on the creature. Smoke began to billow up in the air as Ashley continued to get direct hits. Hearing a groan, she stopped before lowering her weapon and glaring at the creature now writhing in pain on the ground.

"Good shot Ash." Carlos said as he and the others joined her by her side. "You really let him have it."

"It's because of him that Astronema was able to hurt you guys. I won't forgive him."

"Hey, look!" Cassie shouted as she pointed up to the sky. The rangers watched as the green lasers from Astronema's ship beamed down from the sky and enveloped the Body Switcher in its light, causing the monster to grow.

"Mega Voyager transform – online!" The Rangers shouted as they extended their hands towards the sky. It didn't take long for the rangers new Megazord to appear, landing right in front of the Body Snatcher in its battle stance.

"Teleportation now!" the rangers shouted again as they placed their hands on their utility belts. They were quickly enveloped in a bright light before materializing onboard the Megazord. Andros quickly got to work summoning the Megazord's saber before taking the main controls and raising the Mega Voyager's arms in defense.

The Body Snatcher raised its arms above its head as a scythe materialized in his hands. Just as he prepared to bring it down on the Mega Voyager, the Megazord raised its sword before running past him, its sword striking the Body Switcher's side. The Body Switcher grunted in pain before yelling in attempt to bring the scythe down another time. The Mega Voyager raised its sword up, using it as a shield as it blocked the oncoming blade of the scythe, the impact causing both of their weapons to spark.

"Hold him off just a little bit longer." Andros shouted to his teammates as they controlled the Mega Voyager. "Just a little bit more, and…now!"

The Mega Voyager forced the Body Switcher back as it kneed the creature in its chest. It then swung its sword again, striking the Body Switcher in its shoulder. The Body Switcher growled before swinging its scythe like a golf club and hitting the Mega Voyager at a different angle, striking its lower torso. The giant robot spat off sparks, but remained standing as it swung its sword again. The Body Switcher was struck in the chest and fell to the ground, rolling a few feet away from the Megazord and destroying a small grove of trees. He stood to his feet and laughed maniacally as his eyes began to glow red.

"Cassie, shields now!" Andros commanded as he recognized the signs of an ocular attack.

The Body Switcher fired off a set of ocular beams, but before they could strike the Mega Voyager, it raised its shield to block the attack, minimalizing the damage that could have been done to itself. Upon Andros's second command, the Mega Voyager powered up its sword before aiming its tip at the Body Switcher, unleashing a powerful blue beam that struck and enveloped the Body Switcher in its great light.

As the Body Switcher groaned, its body smoking from the damage being done, he was horrified as the Mega V3 missile made its descent as it was summoned into the Mega Voyager's hand. Realizing that he was finished, the monster stood his ground as Andros commanded the missile to fire. The blue and silver missile propelled through the air from its cannon before striking the Body Switcher, destroying it on impact.

"Let's go home." Andros said with a smile as his teammates cheered over their victory.

* * *

The Astro Rangers walked into the dining hall of the Megaship as they made their way over to their storage lockers. Ashley hung back near the doorway as she watched her teammates remove their helmets to be placed inside their bins. It was a routine after all their missions so Andros and Alpha could make any necessary repairs to the helmets to ensure their durability for the next battle.

The Yellow Ranger mulled over her thoughts of her day. She had turned seventeen and had a wonderful birthday party with her friends and family, only to wind up being abducted. To make matters worse, she'd allowed the Body Switcher to use its powers and became an imposter version of Astronema. When Andros had realized the difference and struck Astronema with his Astro Blaster, she had changed back to normal, but what about her appearance?

"Well Ashley?" she heard Andros call out to her softly. She raised her head to meet his gaze before looking down at the floor.

"What if it didn't work?" she asked, worry coating her words.

"There's only one way to find out." TJ said with a shrug before nodding at her to remove her helmet.

Taking a deep breath, Ashley raised her hands to the back of her helmet before unlatching the restraints. Slowly, she removed the helmet, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt her hair tumble down to her shoulders.

"Ashley, you're you again!" Cassie exclaimed as she walked over to her best friend.

Ashley's eyes shot open as she raised her gloved hand to her face. "I'm me again!"

Cassie laughed as she hugged her friend tightly before stepping back and walking around her, checking her over to ensure that what she was seeing wasn't another allusion.

"I guess when we destroyed the monster, the effects of its spell wore off."

"Thank goodness." Ashley said as she set her helmet down on the dining table.

"I'm just glad you were able to help me see through Astronema's disguise before I hurt you." Andros said, suddenly feeling guilty for attacking her earlier.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault Andros." Ashley reassured him as she walked towards him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "You had no way of telling us apart. I mean, I did look _exactly_ like her. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing if I were in your shoes. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Andros smiled before wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close. When they pulled away they both exchanged a nervous smile before Ashley turned to grab her helmet. Suddenly recalling the item that helped her reveal her true identity to Andros, she reached inside her ranger suit, smiling as her fingers met her necklace.

"Thanks again for the gift And…ros…?" Ashley trailed off when she realized that the Red Ranger was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where'd he go?"

The others who had been busy putting their helmets away looked up and shrugged, none of them sure of where their leader had gone.

Ashley felt a little saddened by the fact that Andros had gone off on his own, but she quickly shook the feeling away as she recalled the hug they'd shared moments before. With a soft smile, she too moved to put her things away.

* * *

"I can't really explain these feelings that I'm starting to have. I mean…a part of me knows what they are and why they're so strong, but I keep denying the truth because a part of me feels like I'm betraying Adia. Ashley…she's such a wonderful girl and it's been _so long_ since anyone has made me feel like this. I don't know what to do about these feelings I'm having."

Andros stared at the glass cryogenic tube beside him as he raised a hand and rested it on the glass beside the hand of the occupant inside it. Feeling his eyes burning with beckoning tears, he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes studying each groove in its surface.

"Adia was my entire world Zhane, you know that. The two of you are what made life worth living. I mean, mom and dad were never the same after Karone was kidnapped and I felt so… _responsible_ for her being taken that I allowed it to eat at me for years. The two of you helped pull me out of that funk. You guys helped build me up not just as a person but as Red Ranger. Even when I felt at times that I wasn't worthy of taking Cain's place, you both helped me see otherwise. You're like a brother to me. You always have been from the moment we met. You've always had my best interests at heart and you've always had my back no matter the situation. Which is why I need your help now Zhane. I need your advice."

Andros stood to his feet and rubbed his gloved hand against the thick coating of frost covering the cryogenic tube. The helmet of the Silver Ranger was revealed, and Andros couldn't stop the tears from falling down his face as he stared at his comatose friend's body. His eyes traveled to the monitors beside the tube as he was reminded of Zhane's condition and the injuries that were still struggling to heal even two years later. The blast that should have been fatal was meant for him, not Zhane, and Andros lived with that guilt every single day. He had been distraught over losing Adia and had let his guard down, the one thing that Cain had stressed for him not to do; and as an ending result, Zhane had stepped in to save him.

Andros squeezed his eyes shut as the sound of Zhane's horrific screams being enveloped by Astronema's attack filled his head. He recalled waking up in the hospital while the few medical personnel that were left on KO-35 nursed him back to health. He recalled one of them explaining that Zhane too had survived but his injuries were far too great and advanced for them to heal without the assistance of a doctor. Andros recalled standing vigil by his friend's side as the staff was forced to put Zhane into cryogenic slumber. He recalled asking that the doctors move Zhane onboard the Megaship before his journey. He recalled his promise to find help and his promise to avenge his people. Yet there he was two years later and he had yet to live up to any of the promises that he had made to the people who had saved their lives without question.

With a shuddering sigh, Andros sank down onto his knees, his hands gripping tightly onto the metal beam supporting the cryogenic tube as Zhane slept on. If he couldn't stop Astronema now, what were the chances his vengeance would ever be fulfilled?

* * *

 **A/N:** **Review!**


	20. Survival of the Silver

**A/N:** **Hey guys! I'm back with the next chapter and it didn't take nearly as long as the previous update. Since I'm on the waiting list for a few fulltime jobs I've applied for, I have a lot of time to write with school no longer being a part of my plans. I have to take care of all this free time while I still have it!**

* * *

 **Casting:**

 **Phantom Ranger (Zentin)…Theo James**

 **Black Ranger (Andante)…Robert Scott Wilson**

 **Pink Ranger (Malina)…Kate Mansi**

 **Blue Ranger (Koyu)…Casey Deidrick**

 **Yellow Ranger (Adia)…Molly Burnett**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the popular television series** _ **Power Rangers in Space.**_ **It was created by Haim Saban and is based off Denji Sentai Megaranger, a very popular Super Sentai series in Japan. I also do not own the characters used in this plot. I am the owner of all parts of the plot that I have changed to better fit with my complete original prequel of this story** _ **"PRIS: Fallen Stars,"**_ **and I own all original characters, monsters, and planets that I created for the purpose of this story. Do not reproduce this story in any shape or format. Please, and thank you.**

* * *

" _ **Survival of the Silver"**_

The desert planet of Kahari sort of reminded Carlos of his family vacation to Phoenix, Arizona when he was around ten. The heat was intense, but it didn't seem to bother him as much. He remembered his dad calling it "dry heat" in comparison to "humid heat" that they had experienced during a family reunion in Illinois.

Sand and dirt stretched on for miles while palm trees and cacti were positioned amongst the rocks and desert plants growing everywhere. Noticing the dry feeling in his mouth, Carlos took hold of his collapsible canteen and took a swig before putting it away for safe keeping.

Ashley and Andros were crouched down on the ground with a few shovels as they excavated another sample of foreign rock and placed it inside the backpack that Cassie was hanging onto. The rangers had been on Kahari for nearly two hours now collecting rock samples to take back to the Megaship and Carlos was starting to get tired.

"This looks like a good sample." Ashley said with a smile as she placed it into Cassie's bag.

"That should be enough for now." Andros said as he smiled back at her. "Let's get back to the Megaship and do some preliminary research on our findings."

The others agreed before collecting their things and heading back to where they had parked the Megaship. Since Alpha and D.E.C.A. were doing a tune up of the ship's defense systems, Andros had decided that landing on Kahari during their venture would be better than leaving the Astro ship in orbit. After all, when repairs on the defense system were being conducted, the defense systems had to be shut off; and the last thing any of the rangers needed was for Astronema to attack the ship when it was at its most vulnerable point.

Carlos grabbed hold of a few spare shovels as he prepared to follow his friends, but a dark figure could be seen moving out the corner of his eye. He paused before looking over his shoulder and raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"What the hell was that?"

Cassie and TJ stopped their trek before looking in the direction that Carlos was currently staring off in.

"This heat must be getting to you." TJ said with a laugh. "There's nothing there man. Let's go."

Carlos turned back to look at his friends who were already walking off after Andros and Ashley. With a shrug, he headed after them.

Meanwhile, a few trees and plants positioned behind the rangers quickly morphed, revealing four figures dressed in dark brown and red cloaks as they began to move their arms wildly about. They watched the rangers as they made their way back towards the parked Megaship with their samples in tow. The figure standing at the front of the group motioned for the others to follow it before they stealthily followed the rangers.

"It's been over a month since we last had a lead on Divatox." TJ sighed as he and the others walked towards the ship. "I beginning to lose hope."

"Maybe we could contact the Phantom Ranger and see if he's found any leads?" Ashley suggested as she spared a glance at Cassie.

The Pink Ranger blushed before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I spoke to him last night. He didn't mention anything about finding a lead on Divatox. Right now, he's trying to scout the galaxy for signs of any Piranhatrons in hopes that they'll lead him to her."

"Then we'll have to find another strategy to locate her ourselves." Andros said.

"Guys, who are they?" Ashley said, gaining the others' attention.

The rangers looked in front of them and were surprised to see the cloaked figures with purple hands and faces walking towards them. They were speaking in a foreign language that none of the rangers seemed to understand and they appeared to be agitate.

"There's more over there." Carlos said as he pointed to a ledge off to their right. The rangers then looked around as more of the purple-skinned figures appeared. Realizing that they were surrounded the rangers went into full defense mode.

"I don't think these guys are friendly." Andros said while the others nodded in agreement. "Let's move!"

Andros took off running in a full sprint while the others followed closely behind him. All the hooded creatures jumped from their positions before giving chase to the five teenagers who were making a dash towards the Megaship.

When Andros spied the nose of the Megaship, he turned to the others before nodding. The five rangers moved into position.

"Let's Rock It!" Andros commanded as he and the others threw their hands forward before morphing into their suits.

The creatures began their assault on the rangers, swinging their arms about wildly as they did their best to make a grab for the bags of rocks the rangers had taken from the planet's soil. Ashley and Cassie decided to work together to defend themselves, working back to back, their arms linked up, as they executed several kicks and a few flips to try and get the creatures off their back. Carlos and TJ were also working together, teaming up for double attacks as they defended the bags to the best of their ability.

"We need to get out of here now." Andros shouted to the others. "There's way too many of them. Alpha, prepare for takeoff, now!"

The Megaship's rear door dropped down and the rangers made a run for it, doing their best to avoid hurting the creatures as they made their way inside. The Megaship's engines revved up as D.E.C.A.'s voice flooded the entryway, warning the rangers of the impending takeoff.

TJ and Andros pulled out their Astro Blasters and began firing at the creatures that were making a run for the doorway to gain entry to the ship. The two of them began to open fire, striking the creatures and injuring the ones that had attempted to climb onboard. While Andros continued to shoot at their pursuers, TJ ran towards the control panel on the wall.

"I'm sealing the doors!" he shouted as he input the correct code. The doors slammed shut and Andros breathed a sigh of relief as he and TJ powered down and ran to join the others who had powered down and picked up their samples.

"D.E.C.A., take off _now_!" Andros shouted as he helped the others gather the bags. They then made a run for the bridge as D.E.C.A. began naming off the necessary procedures for takeoff to begin.

The Megaship began vibrating violently as it lifted off the ground and Andros was immediately concerned that damages had been done. As far as he knew, Alpha and D.E.C.A. weren't finished with their tune ups, meaning the Megaship's defenses were down at the time they were ambushed. Judging by the violent shaking the Megaship was currently undergoing, the creatures had probably done some damage before takeoff.

The rangers reached the bridge to find Alpha steering the Megaship from Andros's post. As the rangers took their seats, Andros turned his attention to D.E.C.A.'s lens.

"D.E.C.A., damage report?"

 **" _Electrical malfunctions on Mega Decks 4, 6, and 2. Stabilizers offline. Accelerator's overheating."_**

Andros's eyes widened in panic as D.E.C.A. mentioned the accelerators. If they were overheating, some damage had been done to the engine. The Megaship gave a violent rock and the rangers were knocked out of their seats and onto the floor.

"To the engine room, hurry!" Andros shouted as he pushed himself back onto his feet. "One of the cables must be disconnected. You guys must reconnect it before we lose power. I'll try and steer the ship down safely or we'll risk crashing."

"Come on." TJ shouted to the others as they ran from the room.

Andros gripped onto the main steering controls tightly as he did his best to keep the Megaship up and in the air, but the stabilizers were offline, making gravity a more powerful force on the ship. He could feel his arms burning as he pulled tightly on the controls, mentally begging for the ship to hold up.

"Ai, yi, yi, yi, yi!" Alpha shouted as he ran to the control panels to try and get the shields back online. If the Megaship was going to crash, the shields would be needed to lessen the impact. At the speed they were going, there was no way any of the rangers would survive should the ship crash.

* * *

TJ and the other rangers rushed into the engine room with panic on their faces. Alarms were blaring all throughout the room and smoke was billowing out the doorway. The engine's liquid core was growing red instead of orange and the machine was sparking as loosened cables dangled from the ceiling.

"We have to do something now!" Ashley shouted as she ran over to the engine's control center and pulled open a system diagnostics test. "The engine's magnetics are out of sync. Check the sub-ion panels."

Carlos and Cassie nodded as they headed across the room. Meanwhile, TJ had climbed up the ladder and was standing on the platform overhead as he tried to make a grab for the sparking cables. The situation was all-too familiar with the rangers first visit to the Megaship. TJ was struggling to reach the swinging cables, but he finally managed to grab hold of one of the two and quickly got to work reattaching it.

Cassie and Carlos ran to the engine's containment unit and popped open a panel on the side. Their eyes widened in horror as the panel began to spit out smoke, signaling that the circuit board had been fried. TJ suddenly cried out in pain. The two of them looked up to where TJ was standing above them on the platform grasping his hand.

"Are you okay?" Cassie asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." He answered as he shook it off and grabbing the second cable. "I think I've got it. Try overriding the system shutdown now Ashley."

Ashley nodded before sifting through the programs and finding the correct one. When the alarms stopped and the engine began to glow a fluorescent orange again, the rangers smiled.

" _ **Thrusters back online."**_ D.E.C.A. spoke, signaling that they were successful in at least part of their emergency mission. The rangers steadied themselves as the Megaship leveled itself out. They could feel the ship starting to make its descent before a small bump indicated their landing.

"Looks like Andros managed to steady us out." TJ said. "We should meet up with him and go over the damages."

"I swear, it's like we spend more time repairing the Megaship than actually flying on it." Ashley said as she tried to add a little humor to their situation.

Just as the rangers prepared to leave the engine room, a small whooshing sound could be heard. Cassie looked up and squinted through the smoke when she spied a faint blue light coming from the opposite side of the room.

"Hey Ash, we're going to have to run a full maintenance check when Andros gets down here." TJ said as he climbed down from the platform. "Most of the circuitry probably fried during the electrical function failure."

"You're right." Ashley said as she ran a hand through her hair. The two of them gathered around the control panel as they began running what few tests they could on the engine to check how much energy had been expelled from the engine's core during their rough landing. They needed at least sixty-percent of the core's energy for a successful takeoff and unless they could recharge the reactor to a full eighty-five percent, hyper rush nine was off the table. Their search for Zordon would be put on standby if they couldn't get things repaired.

Carlos listened absentmindedly to TJ and Ashley as they rambled on and on through their tests, but his attention quickly turned to Cassie who was moving across the engine room towards the blue light. Carlos spotted an opened door off in the far corner and raised an eyebrow. When Andros had given him and the others a tour of the Megaship, he certainly hadn't mentioned there being a hidden room off the engine room.

"Cass, wait up." Carlos said as he followed the Pink Ranger.

The two of them slowly walked into the room and had to wrap their arms around themselves at the realization that the temperature in the room was very low. There weren't any lights on except for a bright, yet dull blue light emanating from a glass casing across the room. The two of them exchanged a glance before approaching the tube.

"What is this place?" Carlos wondered aloud, asking the question that the Pink Ranger was also wondering about. "Hey guys – TJ, Ash…come and look at this!"

Carlos and Cassie approached the tube and paused when they heard TJ and Ashley's approaching footsteps. The Yellow and Blue Ranger were amazed by the glass tube in the center of the room and quickly moved to join their friends.

"What is that thing?" Ashley wondered as she moved to get a better look of the frozen glass.

"It looks like some sort of cryogenic tube." Cassie said as she raised an eyebrow.

Carlos spied a set of control panels and monitors just beside the tube and made his way over. Although the controls were covered in a small layer of frost, they were still functioning. Carlos recognized the lettering on the panels to be Karovian, but he was unsure as to what they said. What he did notice were the image readings onscreen. There was an overview of a human body that was bathed in different colors while a smaller image beside it clearly displayed moving lines similar to the heart monitors on earth.

"Guys, there's someone inside that thing." Carlos said as he looked at his friends. "They're alive, but barely."

"Why wouldn't Andros tell us about this?" Ashley wondered aloud as her friends exchanged glances with her.

Cassie leaned closer to the cryogenic tube, nervousness overcoming her as she pressed her hand down on the frost-covered glass and wiped it away. What she and the others saw left them speechless. Inside the tube was a frozen Power Ranger. He wore a helmet like their own, only the helmet was a combination of gold and silver. The ranger's suit was completely silver with a design going across the chest; but unlike the design on the other ranger's chests, that held five colored rectangles that corresponded with their ranger colors, the design on this ranger's chest had green rectangles.

"It's a Power Ranger." Cassie said breathlessly as she and the others stared at the unknown person in disbelief.

"The missing silver morpher." Ashley said in disbelief as she recalled the colored pipes that the morphers had been kept on. "I always wondered why the silver morpher was missing. I don't understand why Andros wouldn't tell us about whoever this guy is."

"His name is Zhane." TJ said as he felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

"You know about this?" Carlos asked as he shot TJ a questioning gaze. "For how long?"

"I didn't know about this room or about Zhane being in cryogenic sleep." TJ said reassuringly as the others turned to face him. "However, I do know who he is. He was the Silver Ranger of Andros's original team. They were best friends."

Ashley couldn't help but to feel hurt by the fact that TJ seemed to know something about Andros's past that she did not. After all, she and Andros were closer than he was to the others, and he seemingly never kept things from her. He told her of his nightmares, of his fears, yet he couldn't divulge this secret to her.

"When Andros and I went to find the Barillian Bug that bit Carlos a few weeks back, Andros told me about his first encounter with the insect. He said that a worker in the Southern Colony was bitten and slowly infected the rest of the colony before spreading out over KO-35 with the intent to sting all the Karovians to form a new colony of Barillian Bugs. Andros said he and Koyu had been stung by the bugs and Zhane had to lead the team in his absence. Andros was visibly upset after he told me everything so I didn't want to question him further. I knew he'd tell us when the time is right."

"I don't understand why he felt the need to keep this a secret from us." Ashley said, her voice heavy with sorrow.

"I didn't tell you because _I_ am the reason he's like this." Andros's voice came from the doorway.

The rangers looked up, startled by the Red Ranger's sudden appearance. They were all immediately run down with guilt at the broken look on Andros's face as he approached the cryogenic tube and laid his hand on the glass.

"The door was open." Cassie said apologetically. "I swear Andros. We didn't mean to-"

"It's alright." Andros cut her off, not bothering to look her way. "I had a feeling the door would give way when D.E.C.A. notified me that the electrical systems had malfunctioned."

The other rangers were silent as they observed their leader. Andros's shoulders were slumped forward and he looked like he was on the verge of exploding. Ashley continued to open and close her mouth as she fought over the right words to say, but Andros beat her to it.

"The Silver Ranger serves as second in command of the Astro Rangers." He began, not bothering to look their way. "However, he also works as a solo act and does more outer planetary work than the other Astro Rangers. The Silver Ranger is given a separate arsenal and a stronger morpher because of his separate work duties."

With a heavy sigh, Andros turned to face his teammates, crossing his arms over his chest as he fought the sadness that was washing over him.

"Zhane and I met when we were just kids. He was the class clown and was always getting himself into trouble. He was popular, the total opposite of me. I was quiet and tried my best to study hard so I'd have a shot at getting into the Astro Academy. Zhane saved me from a group of kids that used to pick on me and after that, we'd become best friends. He used to joke all the time, saying that I was his body guard. I found out that Zhane was an orphan about two years after we'd been friends. I followed him home from school one day and was hurt that he didn't tell me. Well, one thing led to another and my parents ended up taking Zhane in. So, he became like a brother to me. We used to scheme and pull pranks together, we went on adventures, and we even went through the Astro Academy together, earning the top two spots."

"So, what happened to him?" Ashley asked as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Why would you think that him being like this is your fault?"

"Because it is my fault." Andros said as his eyes filled with tears. "When Astronema attacked, she and her army were absolutely ruthless and showed us and the Karovians no mercy. After slaying our teammates, Zhane and I were the only ones left. We fought like hell to defend KO-35 despite knowing that the colony had already fallen. I was so devastated over Adia's death that I started to slip and make mistakes. Astronema was determined to take me down and she fired a blast meant for me…but Zhane took it instead."

"That doesn't mean it was your fault." Cassie tried to reason with him, but Andros shook his head.

"If I had paid closer attention to what I was doing…If I hadn't dropped my guard, Zhane wouldn't have stepped in front of that blast. When I woke up a month later in the hospital, I had the surviving doctors bring him onboard the Megaship and place him in this cryogenic tube. His injuries were very severe and he could have died back on KO-35, but I decided to give him a fighting chance. This machine is slowly healing him and hopefully, someday, I'll have my best friend back."

Ashley placed a hand over her heart as stared at Andros in disbelief. How he'd manage to keep this bottled up inside him with everything else that had gone on in his past was a mystery to her.

" _ **Damage scan is complete."**_ D.E.C.A. spoke suddenly, jarring everyone from their thoughts. _**"Shall I instruct Alpha to begin making repairs?"**_

"That's okay D.E.C.A." Andros said wiping the tears from his eyes. "We're on our way back up."

As the rangers headed for the elevator, Andros paused before grabbing Cassie by the shoulder. "The samples we collected from Kahari. I think they're still in the cargo bay."

"I'll go and get them." Cassie said with a smile.

Andros nodded as Cassie took back off down the hallway. The sliding doors to the cargo bay slid open as Cassie approached, and to her surprise, only one of the samples was lying on the floor. It had cracked open and there was a green gooey substance leaking from inside it onto the floor. With a raised eyebrow, she walked over and crouched down beside the broken sample and stuck her hands in the goo as she tried to make sense of what had happened.

Just then, a monster appeared before her and shoved her onto the floor. Cassie felt her morpher unstrap from her wrist and watched in disbelief as it slid across the floor, stopping on the other side of the monster. The monster as enormous and looked like a giant pink slug with legs, arms, and tentacles protruding from its face.

Cassie tried crawling across the floor to grab hold of her morpher, but the creature's tentacles wrapped tightly around her ankle, stopping her in her tracks. Cassie screamed as she clawed her hands against the floor in an attempt to escape, but it was no use. The monster's grip only seemed to tighten as it kicked her morpher even further out of her reach. Cassie looked over her shoulder and used her free foot to kick the monster in its stomach. She then scrambled onto her feet before making a run for the door; but just before she could get out, the doors slid shut, trapping her inside.

"Oh my God, no!" she shrieked as she began beating her fists against the metal door. "Somebody please _help_!"

Realizing that she was trapped, Cassie put on her bravest face before running towards the monster and kicking it in the stomach. The monster stumbled back slightly, leaving itself open for Cassie to kick it across the face, knocking it onto the floor. Cassie ran over to grab her morpher before running over to the control panel in the center of the room. As the monster ran towards her, prepared to attack, Cassie pushed the button linked to the cargo bay doors before holding onto the metal beam right beside the control panel. The doors slid open as the air in the room began to escape, sucking every loose object on the cargo bay out its doors at an alarming rate. Cassie screamed over the howling of the wind as she felt her fingers slipping against the metal surface of the beam, but she held on tightly. The creature was sucked out of the cargo bay doors along with several crates and empty barrels. Cassie quickly reached for the button to close the doors and screamed as she hit the metal floor with a thud.

Cassie squeezed her eyes shut as she hunched over and struggled to catch her breath. The air in the cargo bay had thinned significantly thanks to most of the oxygen being sucked out through the cargo by doors. Feeling the fear in her chest bubbling up, the Pink Ranger strapped her morpher to her wrist before scrambling to her feet and unlocking the door.

* * *

" _ **Engine power deteriorating."**_ D.E.C.A. spoke, her voice filling the bridge.

The elevator doors opened as Cassie ran into the room with panic on her face. Andros and the others turned around to face their friend, all of them confused by her alarm.

"Cassie, the sensors indicated that the cargo bay doors were opened. What's going on?"

"The sample that we brought back from Kahari wasn't a rock, it was some kind of egg or pod." Cassie said in between pants. "It turned into a monster and attacked me. I had to send it out the cargo bay door."

The Megaship suddenly gave a violent jolt and the rangers held onto the control panels to keep themselves from falling over. Ashley pulled up the engine readings on her screen and gasped.

"We can't escape the planet's gravitational pull with the engine at fifteen percent." She said quickly.

"Prepare for an emergency landing, _now_." Andros commanded as the others quickly moved into position.

"That's not our only problem." TJ said as he motioned to the windshield and brought up a visual of the monster that had attacked Cassie. The monster was currently clinging onto the outside of the cargo bay doors as it struggled to hang on. The creature let out a gurgling sound before ripping open one of the panels just beside it.

The Megaship shook violently as Andros shouted for his teammates to hang on tight. The ship then began to nose dive back towards the surface of the Kahari. The lights began flashing as the Megaship's alarms blared loudly.

" _ **Autopilot engaged."**_ D.E.C.A. spoke over the chaos. _**"Prepare for emergency landing."**_

TJ and Carlos wrapped their arms around Cassie as they dove to the floor while Andros grabbed hold of Ashley. The ship slammed onto the surface of Kahari and began to skid several meters before coming to an abrupt stop. Andros fell out of his chair, pulling Ashley down with him as they hit the floor.

The rumbling stopped, but the alarms continued to blare on as the backup generators started up to provide the rangers with what little light they could. Andros could hear TJ, Carlos, and Cassie checking each other over and he quickly turned his attention to Ashley who was lying on the floor beside him, his arms still wrapped around her tightly.

"Ash?" he called out to her in worry. He sighed in relief when she groaned in response. "Are you alright."

"I'm fine." She said as they slowly sat up. Andros stood to his feet and helped her up before moving to join the others.

"Are you guys okay?" Ashley asked worriedly as Andros held onto her for support.

"Just a few scrapes and bruises." Cassie reassured her. "Nothing to worry about."

" _ **Hostile aliens approaching Megaship."**_ D.E.C.A. announced.

"What are we going to do?" Ashley asked as she and the others turned to Andros. "There are obviously some major repairs that have to be done to the outside of the ship."

"Then we need to ward off these creatures before they manage to do any more damage." Andros said as he lifted his sleeve to reveal his morpher. The others nodded as they followed suit.

"Let's Rock It!"

* * *

The Astro Rangers ran out of the cargo bay doors of the Megaship, their power weapons drawn as they were ready to defend the ship. Andros immediately began striking down his enemies with his Spiral Saber, determination coursing through his veins as he fought to defend the Megaship. If they couldn't repair the ship, they'd be stranded on Kahari with no means of being rescued, and that was a chance he wasn't willing to take.

The other Astro Rangers had the same thing in mind as they worked to defend the ship as well. Cassie and Ashley teamed up using their Satellite Stunner and Star Slinger to take down a few of the monsters, the two of them getting direct hits each time. Meanwhile, Carlos was faring well whacking his opponents with the Lunar Lance and sending them in TJ's direction to be struck down by the Astro Axe.

Andros growled angrily as he swung at another creature, but he was kicked in the back by one behind him and fell to the ground. When he looked up, he was angered to find a few of the creatures making their way through the cargo bay doors.

"D.E.C.A., seal all doors and entry points." Andros shouted into his communicator. The doors slid shut and, but Andros knew their troubles were far from over. A few of the creatures had managed to make their way inside of the ship and if D.E.C.A. couldn't manage to seal off those doors in time, the engine room and any other vital part of the ship could be damaged. Meanwhile on the outside, the creatures that weren't engaged in battle with the other rangers were busy destroying the outside of the ship by pulling panels off the walls, pulling out wires, and even striking the ship's cannons.

"Stop it right there!" Cassie shouted as she ran over to a group of six attacking the outside of the ship near its thrusters, but the creatures were more than ready for the Pink Ranger. Cassie fired the Satellite Stunner, but two of the creatures dove out of the way. One of them grabbed her by her throat before slamming her against the wall of the ship. Cassie clawed at the creature's hands in desperation as she felt her throat's air supply being cut off.

"Hang on Cassie!" Ashley shouted as she ran over to join her friend. Ashley fired the Star Slinger at the creature holding Cassie and was satisfied to see it drop her friend. Cassie hacked as she did her best to catch her breath. Ashley ran over to her friend's side to defend her before firing at the creatures around them and kicking the few that did manage to get close.

" _ **The Megaship is currently under attack."**_ D.E.C.A.'s voice came over the rangers' communicators. _**"Currently in the process of sealing all doors to keep out intruders."**_

"Spiral Saber, Booster Mode!" Andros shouted as his weapon transformed into its secondary stage. Andros unleashed two blasts and was stunned as the creatures dissolved into sparkling purple dust as though they were made of a magic spell of sorts.

Andros looked towards TJ and Carlos who were busy with their own fleet. "You guys, the creatures are made of magic! Use your blasters!"

"Right." The two of them agreed as their weapons disappeared. Quickly, the two of them pulled their Astro Blasters from their holsters as they began open firing on the creatures, watching in satisfaction as they were reduced to nothing but dust.

"That was easier than I thought." Carlos said as he and TJ moved to stand back to back. "But there are still too many of them. We'll tire out or be overrun if we don't take them all out in one sweep."

"Andros used his Spiral Saber's Booster Mode. Why don't we try combining our weapons together to form the Quadro Blaster?"

" _ **Power malfunction in the healing chamber."**_ D.E.C.A.'s voice came over the communicators again. Carlos and TJ exchanged a glance before looking towards Andros who had stopped his fighting. _**"Power malfunction in the healing chamber – level 10."**_

"There's something wrong with Zhane." Andros realized, his heart beating wildly in his chest as panic began to set in. With all the damage done to the Megaship, the power needed to keep Zhane's chamber active was probably failing, which could lead to disaster without repairs.

The monster that came from the sample pod on the Megaship suddenly appeared and began firing ocular beams at the other rangers. Andros willed his legs to move and help them, but he found himself frozen on the spot. There was no way Zhane's chamber would fail. It had to hold out long enough for him to make the repairs. He wouldn't be able to live with himself should anything happen to him.

* * *

" _Why didn't you tell me you lived in an orphanage?" a ten-year-old Andros asked Zhane as they sat on Zhane's bed in the Eastern Colony's orphanage._

 _Zhane stared down at his hands that were folded in his lap, not bothering to look up to face his best friend. This certainly wasn't how he was expecting for Andros to find out. After all, they told each other everything from their deepest darkest secrets, to their regrets, to their dreams for the future. Andros had told him everything about how his relationship with his parents was losing its strength and that his sister had been kidnapped right under his nose just four years ago. Zhane knew Andros like the back of his hand, so it was without a doubt that Andros probably felt betrayed by Zhane withholding such information from him._

" _Zhane, why didn't you tell me?" Andros asked again, his voice a little firmer. "What, did you think you couldn't trust me? Did you think I wouldn't understand?"_

" _I didn't want you to feel sorry for me!" Zhane snapped suddenly, causing Andros to jump. Zhane looked up, his green eyes meeting Andros's brown and Andros's eyes softened as Zhane's eyes filled with tears._

" _Don't look at me like that." Zhane warned as he slid off the bed and began to walk around the small room._

" _Look at you like what?" Andros asked, his voice soft as he tried to refrain from setting Zhane off even further._

" _You're looking at me like you feel sorry for me, like you sympathize my very existence. That's what you're thinking isn't it? Oh, poor Zhane – the orphan boy whose parents abandoned him at birth because they didn't want a child!"_

" _Zhane, stop it." Andros said as he stood to his feet. "That isn't want I'm thinking and you shouldn't think that either. So I feel sorry for you, big deal. I'd feel sorry for anyone who doesn't know what it's like not to have parents Zhane. Look, I don't think any less of you because of this. In fact, it makes me admire you."_

 _Zhane rubbed furiously at his eyes to rid them of their tears, the whites having gone completely red. He looked at Andros, surprised by his words._

" _Admire me? Why would you possibly want to admire me Andros? I mean…look at what a great life you have. Look at how cool you are!"_

" _I'm the cool one?" Andros asked with a raised eyebrow. "If I am, it's only because of you. In case you've forgotten, I was Kahn and Heln's personal punching bag until you came along. Cool isn't exactly what I'd use to describe me."_

" _That's not what I meant." Zhane said with a sigh as he sat down on the floor and leaned his head back against his thinning mattress. Andros sat down on the floor in front of him and crossed his legs as he stared at his friend, his expression begging for the bleach-blonde boy to continue._

 _Zhane sighed again before running a hand through his hair. "I've stayed the night at your house every weekend for the past two years Andros and I've seen…no, I've_ _ **felt**_ _how it feels to be a part of a family Andros. The few game nights, family dinners, homework help sessions, telekinetic trainings, and bedtime stories that I've gotten to see…they remind me so much of what I've had to miss out on in my life. It makes me envy you Andros."_

" _Yeah, but my family has its problems to Zhane." Andros said as he stared up at the ceiling fan turning around on the ceiling. "You don't get to see my parents fight or the punishments I receive for missing marks on an exam. You don't see the pain and the suffering we all go through because we don't know what happened to my sister."_

" _Andros…I would trade places with you in a heartbeat if I could. I'd take everything, the good and the bad because it would make me feel like I_ _ **belong**_ _somewhere. Just knowing that I'm wanted enough to be kept around…knowing that I'm loved enough to be taken care of…that would be the greatest thing in the world to me."_

 _Andros was silent as he let his friend's words sink in. Zhane didn't bother to look his way, not wanting to see the sympathy on his face. What happened next took the young boy by complete surprise. Andros took hold of his hand before pulling him to his feet._

" _What are you doing?" Zhane asked with a raised eyebrow._

 _Andros offered Zhane a warm smile before pulling him towards the door. "We're going home."_

* * *

"You're going to pay for this!" Andros shouted at the creatures as anger filled is veins. Holding on tightly to his Spiral Saber, Andros ran towards the creatures and began to strike them down, showing no mercy. Sparks and smoke spat off the Spiral Saber as Andros continued to cut through the creatures like an explorer cutting through a forest, his mind clouded with the morbid thought of Zhane's chamber failing. If he died, then two years of trying to keep him and the dream they both had alive would have all been for nothing. Andros had taken it upon himself to give Zhane a home and help him experience the joy of having a family. They had a bond that was unbreakable and they depended on each other in more ways than one. There weren't many friendships like theirs in the galaxy and he wasn't going to let it die as though it meant nothing.

The pod creature fired upon the rangers again, and Cassie and Ashley were propelled up into the air before they slammed into the ground, skidding to a stop right in front of Andros. Andros jumped over the two of them before swinging his Spiral Saber down in a slicing motion, striking the creature in its chest. The creature growled angrily as its wound began to ooze a sickly green color. It then charged towards Andros like an enraged bull before grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him onto the ground. Andros fought against the monster as he kept him pinned down, but the creature wouldn't budge.

"Andros, hang on!" Ashley shouted as the other rangers approached her, all of them holding their weapons in hand.

"Let's do it guys." TJ commanded as they put their weapons together and moved to take position behind Carlos.

"Quadro Blaster online." Carlos said as they aimed at the creature. "Fire!"

Carlos pulled the trigger twice, unleashing two energy blasts and using up the remainder of their power weapons' power. The first blast missed the creature before striking a group of hooded aliens behind it, but the second blast got a direct hit and sent the monster flying across the clearing. Andros struggled to get onto his feet, but he was up in no time with the help of his friends.

"You're going to pay for that!" the monster shouted as it fired off another set of ocular beams. The rangers were struck and sent flying, dust flying up into the air as they landed in front of the cargo by doors.

Just as Andros prepared to lead his team into another attack, the cargo bays slid open as five of the hooded creatures were tossed out. The rangers exchanged a glance before turning back to the cargo bay doors just as the Zhane made his descent down the ramp.

"Zhane…?" Andros said in disbelief, his voice shaking.

"Andros, is that you?" Zhane spoke through gritted teeth as he grasped his side.

Zhane turned his attention from the group of Astro Rangers to the slug tentacle monster standing beside them.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Zhane asked, a smirk evident in his voice.

"So, there's one more of you eh?" the creature said as it let out a maniacal laugh. "No matter. I'll take you down in no time too."

"We'll see about that." Zhane said with confidence. Ignoring the pain in his side, Zhane ran towards the creature before jumping into a front flip over the creature's head. After gaining a little bit of distance, Zhane flicked his wrist as a bladed weapon appeared with attachments around his right hand. "Super Silverizer!"

The other rangers looked on in amazement as Zhane charged towards the monster with his blue-bladed weapon in hand. He kicked the monster in its chest to put a little footing distance between them before spinning around and slicing the monster's shoulder. He then swung his arm in an X motion before dropping down in a sweep kick, knocking the monster onto its back.

"Whoa, he's fast." TJ complimented the Silver Ranger as he and the others watched him battle the monster.

Zhane did an aerial cartwheel and kicked the monster in its chest three times. Once he landed, he brought his blade down in one clean sweep, severing the monster in two. The monster hit the ground, exploding on impact as Zhane turned and held his weapon up in sign of victory.

Zhane ran over to Andros and the other rangers, a smile on his face.

"That was incredible!" the Blue Ranger spoke. Zhane raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliarity of the voice. Koyu obviously wasn't its owner, which meant the other rangers probably weren't his teammates either. One thing's for sure, Andros was still Red Ranger.

"I can't believe this. You're awake!" Andros exclaimed.

Zhane parted his lips to speak, but a loud explosion rocked the area, nearly knocking everyone off their feet. The rangers turned around and were in complete disbelief as the pod monster quickly grew without the usual help of Astronema's lasers.

"Everyone on the ship _now_." Andros commanded as they all took off running for the cargo bay doors. "D.E.C.A., use the backup generators to take off. There isn't much time!"

" _ **Roger that Andros. Backup generators online. Preparing for take of in minus ten seconds."**_

As D.E.C.A. began the countdown, Andros sealed the cargo bay doors. He then ran to catch up with the others. Zhane was waiting in the hall when he arrived and Andros couldn't help but to tear up at the sight of his brother. Zhane seemed to be thinking the same thing as he closed the space between them, bringing Andros into a tight hug.

"I can't believe this." Andros said as he felt the ship taking off. "You're alive."

"You're right, I am alive, and a little confused." Zhane admitted as he scratched the back of his helmet.

"I'll explain everything to you later. Right now, the other rangers and I must destroy that monster. Head to the bridge and stay there with Alpha. We'll rejoin you soon."

"Right." Zhane said as he watched Andros run off.

* * *

The Astro Megazord landed on the surface of Kahari and looked around for any signs of the pod monster, but saw none. As the giant Megazord began to walk around, it was suddenly struck by a strong electric charge. The Megazord fell to the ground and looked in the direction from where the blast originated. The pod creature stood at its source, waving its arms about maniacally.

"That hit was way to powerful." Cassie said as she pulled up the Megazord's system readings. "We're already running on thirty percent power as is, and if we give off anymore, we'll run the risk of losing the Megaship all together."

"Delta Megazord, online." Andros shouted as he moved his Battleizer into position. The rangers watched the viewing screen as their Delta Megazord made its decent from above. The Delta Megazord sent a right hook straight to the monster's face, sending it skidding across the desert. The Megazord then moved to help the Astro Megazord back onto its feet.

"Astro Delta Megazord, begin transformation." Andros commanded as he input the correct coding sequence into his Battleizer.

The Megazords made quick work combining into their combination form and Andros was more than ready to take down the monster that had caused him and the others entirely too much trouble.

"Flying Power Punch!" he shouted. The rangers watched as the Astro Delta Megazord's fists detached before soaring through the air, striking the monster in a fatal blow. The Astro Delta Megazord's fists reattached and stood victoriously as the pod monster exploded, ending its reign of terror.

* * *

After sending the Delta Megazord back to its holding bay and transforming the Megaship back into its original form. The rangers commanded D.E.C.A. to land the Megaship so they could begin repairs as soon as possible; but before a few days' worth of hard work could begin, the earthlings were eager to meet the Silver Ranger who had helped them to defeat the pod monster.

Andros felt nervousness in the pit of his stomach as he and the others neared the bridge, but his nervousness vanished when they reached the doorway. Zhane was standing with his back turned, his helmet sitting on the control panel and his bleach blonde hair standing out like a single tree in a field. Alpha was standing in front of Zhane who was going on and on about a ranger battle and Andros couldn't help but to listen in.

"So, there I was in the line of duty and my Astro Blaster's plutonium was completely empty. Andros and the others were hurt pretty badly and I knew it was up to me to save the day. So, I summoned the Silver Cycle and managed to take down that moron Ecliptor in _one_ sweep!"

"Wow Zhane, that's incredible!" Alpha said, clearly wrapped up in Zhane's story.

"As I recall it, you forgot to put gas in the Silver Cycle and I was forced to save your but using my Spiral Saber." Andros said with an amused look.

Zhane turned around and smiled at Andros. "Oh, is that how the story went?"

Andros laughed before walking over and giving his friend a hug. The others watched them with smiles on their faces, clearly touched by the deep bond between the two of them.

"I can't believe this." Andros said as he took a step back and admired his friend's recovery. "You're all healed up."

"I don't understand what's going on, but I'm really glad to see you. What's going on though? Where are we, and who are they?"

Zhane eyed the four unfamiliar teenagers standing behind his best friend clad in Koyu, Adia, Malina, and Andante's Astro Ranger Uniforms.

"You've been in hyper sleep for a little over two years now." Andros said as his smile softened into a look of seriousness.

" _Two years_?" Zhane repeated. "Oh wow…KO-35, what happened to it? Did we stop Dark Specter's attack?"

Andros's face fell at Zhane's words, confirming his worst fear to be true. Andros took a deep breath, earning Zhane's full and undivided attention.

"KO-35 has fallen. The Grand Elder was slain, our teammates...they were killed. I don't know what became of Cain and the others. It's safe to assume that they were probably killed during the attack too."

Zhane's expression was grim as he allowed Andros's words to sink in. "So how did I end up in cryo-sleep?"

"Astronema was out of control. Her anger was literally rolling off her in waves and she was striking down anyone she could. She had powered up a blast that was meant to kill me, but for some reason, you jumped in front of me and took the blast instead."

Zhane's eyes widened as everything came flooding back to him. He remembered the hatred in Astronema's eyes and the sound of her battle cry as she summoned a huge blast. Zhane knew the minute it had left her fingertips that Andros was going to be a goner and it would have been his fault. Acting on nothing but the desire to save the friend who had given everything to give him a life, Zhane's legs had pulled him forward and directly into the path of Astronema's attack. He remembered the pain as his body was struck with electricity. It felt like several sharp knives were being dragged over his skin, piercing through his muscles and jabbing into his bones. He remembered the feeling of his throat going raw as he yelled and begged for all higher powers in the universe to make the pain stop. Then, there was nothing but darkness. That was until he opened his eyes and found himself freezing cold on top of an opened cryogenic tube nearly thirty minutes ago.

"I remember now." Zhane said as he swallowed the painful lump that had formed in his throat. "I remember everything. So, the others…they really are gone then?"

Andros felt his eyes brimming with tears, but he found the strength to nod. "Yeah, it's just me. I vowed to track down Astronema and Dark Specter and make them pay for what they've done to our people. During a scouting mission, I learned that Master Zordon had been kidnapped and his powers were being drained by Dark Specter. I blew my cover while sitting in on a meeting of the evil Galactic Alliance and Astronema learned of my survival. She's been hunting me down ever since. When I came back to the Megaship to evade being captured, I found these four on my ship."

Zhane listened to Andros's story intently before looking back at the four unknown humans standing before him.

"So, you guys are the new Astro Power Rangers, huh?"

"The former Turbo Rangers of earth, but yeah." TJ said with a smile. "I'm TJ, it's nice to meet you."

Cassie held out a hand which Zhane took graciously and shook. He was unfamiliar with the kind of human she was. After all, her skin was a different shade and her eyes were narrower. He'd never seen another human being like her, but she was beautiful.

"I'm Cassie." She said with a smile.

"Carlos." Andante's successor spoke up as he nodded his head.

Zhane then turned to the girl standing beside Andros and he was absolutely smitten by her beauty. The girl smiled at him, a look of curiosity in her eyes as she held her hand out to him.

"And I'm Ashley." She said nervously.

Zhane stared at her extended hand for a moment before looking up to meet her gaze. He took her hand in his and smiled before bringing her knuckles up to his lips. He watched with a satisfied grin as a blush spread across her cheeks.

Andros quickly stepped in between the two of them with a smile. "I'm glad you're back Zhane. We definitely have, a lot to catch up on."

"Right. There's so much I've missed out on. It's gonna take a while to bring me back up to speed."

"Well man, we have all the time in the world." Andros reassured him. "Looks like the Astro Rangers are back in full effect."

"Enemies beware." Zhane said with a laugh.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Review!**


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